Our Achievements
Some highlights of what we have achieved to date since being founded in 2016
Safeguarding the future of Watford
Business Improvement Grant
Collaborated with Watford Council to distribute over £100,000 worth of grant funding to small-medium sized businesses.
Neurodiversity Umbrella Project
Introduced the Neurodiversity Umbrella Project in 2024 to celebrate all the different minds we are proud to have in our town.
Supporting inclusivity
Championed Proud Watford and Purple Tuesday in our town and became ambassadors of their fantastic causes.
Shopmobility funding
Contributed £20,000 towards Shopmobility to help with accessibility around Watford Town Centre.
Cardboard collection service
Collected over 18 tonnes of cardboard for recycling as part of our FREE cardboard collection service for BID businesses.
Green events
Collaborated with partners to host Watford Green Festival and The Gift Swap, where we repurposed 250+ unwanted Christmas presents.
Watford Gift Card programme
Sold over £177,000 worth of Watford Gift Cards since launching the BID-funded programme in 2020, with 148 accepting the card.
Watford Town Centre performance
Shared valuable vacancy rate and retail spend insights with levy payers to inform them on how Watford compares with the nation.
Enhancing the look and feel of Watford
Watford Business Against Crime scheme
Managed our town’s vital shop link radio scheme which links over 75 retailers to police and CCTV.
CCTV funding
Contributed £75,000 to provide additional funding for the operations and management of our town’s surveillance.
Community Safety Partnership seminars
Hosted 2 seminars along with Hertfordshire Constabulary and Harlequin Shopping Centre to allow for transparency and levy payer feedback.
Safety equipment funding
Contributed towards 2 AED defibrillators as well as anti-drink spiking kits and bleed control kits for night-time economy operators.
Floral displays
Increased the number of colourful floral displays from 215 in our first term to 330 floral displays in this current second term.
Lamppost banners
Introduced 36 colourful lamppost banners to brighten up the town, raise awareness of our brand and help users with wayfinding.
Christmas installations
Lit up the festive season every year with our stunning LED twinkly lights. Switched on the tree lights for other popular celebrations during the year.
Community litter picking
Organised 6 litter picks for local employees to tidy privately owned areas that are prominent and unsightly to town users.
Service Road Q clean up
Funded a deep clean-up of Service Road Q following high demand for improvement from businesses located in that area.
Marketing, communications and events
Watford Town Centre Website
Created a website to showcase what’s on in Watford Town Centre and promote businesses. 55,000+ users since August 2023 launch.
@WatfordTownCentre social media
Promoted the very best of our town on popular social media platforms, reaching 2.5 million+ users since July 2023 launch.
“Winterfest” and “Christmas lights switch-on”
Coordinated annual, free Christmas events to attract thousands of visitors to our town.
“Birds of Prey Experience”
Invited Berkshire Birds of Prey to provide a free interactive experience with Watford Town Centre visitors in August 2024 (returning in August 2025).
“Wellbeing Day”
Organised a day out for families to celebrate “Emergency Services Day”, “National Fitness Day” and “World First Aid Day” with fun, free activities.
“Trick or Treat week”
Celebrated spooky season with the thrilling Trick or Treat show and Trick or Treat trail to encourage footfall and dwell time (returning in October 2025).
Easter programme of activities
Introduced a fortnight of Easter fun, including a hugely popular Easter Egg Hunt where we gave out 6,000 mini chocolate eggs!
“Watford Fringe Festival Presents: Cultural Party”
Partnered with Watford Pump House Theatre and Watford Council to have a huge summer celebration by the pond in June 2025!
Communications
Provided BID newsletters, email updates and business visits to ensure levy payers are informed of our latest projects and services available to them.
Networking events
Hosted quarterly Breakfast with the BID events and biannual BID socials to allow local employees to engage with one another and our BID team.
WATFORD BID BUSINESS PLAN
Download Our 2025 Business Plan