Testimonials - Reading Central BID

Social & Healthy 

In the last year Reading BID has provided many opportunities for us to benefit from the wellbeing menu and from other things they put in place. Some of our employees enjoyed Wednesday Walks and others let their creative juices bubble up in Creative Workshop with Type. Thanks to Reading BID we have also built some great relationships with local business which have helped us to deliver our charitable goals and also keep our employees engaged. It’s great to have all of these things on offer and know that there’s someone supporting local businesses and organisations in a meaningful way.
Joanna Sopylo‑Firrisa Chartered, MCIPD, Organisational Development Lead, 
Make‑A‑Wish UK

Wednesday’s Walk Works brought to Reading by the BID is a great opportunity for our staff to get away from their desks, get some fresh air, and learn about the wonderful areas of our town.  The walks have also opened up a range of networking and recruitment opportunities for us, as well as helping to introduce businesses to each other all while walking and chatting.
Sue Beckett, Operations Services and Intelligent Client Function for Estates South;Engagement and Operational Readiness, Rural Payments Agency

We have been very pleased with the opportunities of networking provided through the BID.  Introductions to businesses complementing our own have been useful and now with the PA/EA Network our office staff can also meet other likeminded people from the local area.  We look forward to more of these kinds of events.
Jerry Muscroft, Director, Phil Jones Associates

Environmental & Sustainable 

As a large town centre hotel which understands the importance of recycling, we rely on the cardboard collection service delivered by the BID.  Over the years, through our BID membership, we have been able to recycle tonnes of cardboard with their fast, efficient and reliable service.  The team are great to deal with and an asset to the town centre.
Magnus Kirstein Andersen, Multi Site General Manager, Novotel Reading Centre & ibis Reading Centre

The weekly cardboard recycling scheme run by the BID is fantastic.  Like clock-work, each week, our cardboard is collected and recycled by a great team of guys.  Having such a local, reliable service has helped our business enormously and it saves us financially too.
Shauna Barry, Shop Manager, Bravissimo 

Enhancing & Exciting 

Through working with the BID we have supported many events in the town centre, including the Fringe Festival and 12 Pubs of Christmas.  These events have helped expose our business to new customers in the office sector and visitor economy alike, as well as draw people in from outside the town.  The First Aid training courses and cardboard collection service has seen a real cost saving for us too.
Andrew Ingle, Co-Founder, TimeTrap Escape Rooms

Christmas is an important season for most retailers and M&S is no exception.  Being surrounded by the fantastic Christmas lighting installations provided by the BID is great for our store.  The lights and events arranged by the BID enhance the whole town centre over the festive season, encouraging more shopping and leisure visitors to our town.
Maria Mandorlo, Deputy Store Manager, Marks & Spencer

The Dinosaur and Easter trails organised by the BID has brought lots of children and families into the shop.  This has increased our visibility to new customers and we look forward to taking part in these events again. The BID must be really proud of its overwhelming success! 
Jackie Redrup, Owner, But Is It Art?

The BID supports so many events throughout the year including Launchpad’s legendary annual Pancake Race (which raises funds for Reading people who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes).  These incredibly varied events mean there is always something going on in the town centre and something for every taste! Throughout the year there are food festivals, parades and trails, theatre productions, music festivals, street performances - all encouraging visitors to visit, have fun and enjoy our town centre.
Kirsti Wilson, Head of Marketing and Fundraising, Launchpad Reading

Safe & Secure

Reading University’s Community Engagement team works closely with the BID on matters of student safety specifically in the night time economy.  Together we have helped implement safety protocols and are proud members of the working panel for the Purple Flag night time management accreditation led by the BID.
Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor, University of Reading

As the manager of Popworld and Sub 89 in the heart of Reading, the working relationship we have with The BID has been invaluable in the continued development of our business and our people alike. Whether it is the Night Time Economy Anti-Terror training, the provision of Tabards and Drug Testing kits for the safety of our security and customers or the increased visibility of the Town centre businesses through the Purple Flag initiative, our relationship with Alexa and The BID has become an indispensable asset in increasingly challenging times. As the current Chair of Pub Watch, we have always valued the information and connection provided to the group from the BID, both with advice and practical assistance
Jerry Wilkinson, General Manager, PopWorld / Sub89

We have a really good relationship with the BID wardens, they work very closely with the branch to support our Business Protection team with shoplifters and other related issues.  They are always supportive and come in and check in daily with the team when they are working.  We consider them as part of our team.
Also it's great to have a BID committee that is supportive of each other and always happy to help by giving advice, sometimes a simple contact number makes a difference.  
Sarah Wilder, Partner & Deputy Branch Manager, John Lewis & Partners Reading

Informed & Represented

Promoting and marketing our shop to those working and visiting the town centre is always a top priority.  We are so pleased to work with the BID team who promote our seasonal campaigns through their communications channels with the town centre as well as larger campaigns such as International Women’s Day as well as Breast Cancer Awareness events with corporate businesses in the town centre.
Shauna Barry, Shop Manager, Bravissimo

The training courses offered are fantastic, since many smaller businesses are not able to book a trainer for First Aid in the way larger corporates can. Courses in the town centre organised by the BID are a huge quality of life improvement, and one less thing that a small business needs to sort out.
Becky Ottery, Owner, Eclectic Games

Having access to both footfall and sales data is very important for a business like our own as this allows us to spot trends and changes in shopper habits that we would otherwise not be aware of. By providing this overview on the health of Reading Town Centre we are able to model our own performance and analyse areas where we can work in closer partnership with the BID to further the aims of both ourselves and the BID as a whole. Consumer behaviour is changing rapidly and becoming more fluid therefore we need to have all the tools we can to help mitigate the effects on our occupiers and respond to the changing demands as they present themselves.
Steven Connolly, Centre Manager, Broad Street Mall