Our 5 Commitments
£3million+ investment for Watford Town Centre
Our 5 commitments will allow us to deliver existing projects, campaigns and services better – as decided by levy paying businesses. As well as implementing new ideas – provided by survey feedback and business consultation meetings.
Enhance the town centre experience
We’re committed to reducing crime and enhancing public spaces, whilst increasing safety and accessibility. Our objective is to create a more welcoming, attractive and safe environment for all Watford Town Centre users, day and night.
Enhance safety and security initiatives
- Manage and further develop the ‘Watford Business Against Crime’ scheme to support the reduction of retail crime and anti-social behaviour, with its own dedicated member of staff.
- Provide additional funding to our town’s CCTV system to reduce crime and increase safety.
- Monitor street drinking, begging, rough sleepers and immediately flag anti-social behaviour (ASB) to Hertfordshire Constabulary and relevant authorities. We’ll work alongside them and our businesses to minimise the impact on our town centre and seek solutions.
- Remain members of the ‘Community Safety Partnership’ and attend the monthly ‘ASB forum’.
- Provide the crucial opportunity for businesses to directly communicate
and receive updates from Hertfordshire Constabulary by hosting our ‘Community Safety Partnership Seminar’. - Attend monthly ‘Pub Watch’ meetings and work closely with members to ensure a safe and fun night out for visitors.
- Partner with Hertfordshire Constabulary and our night-time economy businesses on anti-spiking campaigns and anti-violence towards women and girls initiatives.
- Join with Hertfordshire Constabulary to deliver ‘Safer Business Action Day’ events.
- Maintain our BID-funded defibrillators (AEDs) in Watford Town Centre to ensure they remain fully operational and accessible in the event of a cardiac emergency.
- Assist our town centre businesses in preparing for the upcoming implementation of ‘Martyn’s Law’ (‘Protect Duty’). This includes providing guidance, resources and signposting them to relevant training that will help them comply with new counter- terrorism security requirements.
Enhance the look and cleanliness of our townscape
- Brighten up Watford Town Centre with beautiful floral displays.
- Ensure Watford Town Centre boasts stunning Christmas installations that captivate and delight all visitors during the festive period.
- Run seasonal litter picks to ensure our town looks clean and attractive for residents, employees and visitors.
- Work with our partners to ensure we maintain a high-quality townscape which is clean and well cared for, free from graffiti where it is not approved.
- Maintain the colourful and purposeful lamppost banners in our town centre.
- Allow businesses to decide on new cost- effective ways of enhancing and brightening up the townscape, incorporating our diverse community and culture.
Enhance accessibility around our town
- Contribute to financially Shopmobility to ensure our town is accessible for those with mobility concerns.
- Ensure Watford Town Centre is accessible for people with disabilities, their families and their carers through progressive initiatives such as ‘Purple Tuesday’.
- Check that street traders fully comply with Watford Council licensing policies, so that consumers can freely roam our streets without unlawful, unauthorised or aggressive street trading.
Promote Watford Town Centre
We’re committed to showcasing Watford Town Centre as a vibrant, must-visit destination through marketing, campaigns and captivating events. Our objective is to increase Watford Town Centre’s brand awareness, footfall and consumer spend.
Promote what’s on in Watford Town Centre
- Strengthen and grow the Watford Town Centre brand to reflect our lively, exciting destination with plenty of things to do.
- Coordinate high-quality campaigns and events to build recognition, pride and engagement among Watford Town Centre users.
- Optimise our increasingly popular watfordtowncentre.com website, ensuring content is accurate, engaging and up to date.
- Expand our @WatfordTownCentre social media presence beyond 22,000 followers by sharing compelling, engaging content that draws visitors and positively shapes perceptions of Watford as a vibrant destination.
- Develop and refresh our Watford Town Centre events and activities programme
by reviewing popular activities, such as the ‘Birds of Prey Experience’, ‘Trick or Treat Week’ and Easter programme of activities. We will explore new ideas and proven successes from other leading towns. - Maintain and enhance Watford Town Centre’s reputation as a premier Christmas destination through our annual festive campaigns and the popular ‘Winterfest’ event.
- Promote existing events from other partners via our channels, such as ‘BIG Screen’, ‘BIG Beach’, Diwali celebration, Harlequin Shopping Centre’s extensive events calendar and the ‘Watford Fringe Festival’.
- Strengthen our partnership with Visit Herts to collaboratively promote Watford Town Centre, BID events, projects, and activities, attracting more consumers and raising the town’s profile.
Promote your business offering
- Actively support and promote levy payer’s news, events and offering, utilising our existing Watford Town Centre channels as well as sharing with Watford Observer and Vibe 107.6FM.
- Promote ‘Shop and eat local’ campaigns to encourage residents and visitors to support independent and town centre businesses, boosting the local economy and strengthening community connections.
- Support and promote Watford’s hospitality sector, consulting with those businesses to deliver a showcase event(s) for them, such as a food and drink trail or tasting experience.
- Create an exclusive Watford Town Centre employee discount scheme designed to encourage local workers to shop and eat local at lunch and after work.
Promote relevant business information
- Continue to provide regular newsletters, e-updates and business visits to keep you informed about the latest news from the BID and our partners.
- Invite you to our AGM and provide annual reports – including a detailed finance report – digitally, ensuring you have convenient, transparent access to our BID’s progress and financial management.
- Make full use of existing communication channels – including Harlequin Shopping Centre’s ‘Retail Advantage’ platform, ‘Pub Watch’, and ‘Watford Business Against Crime’ meetings – to share relevant information that benefits our businesses.
Support business growth
We’re committed to providing services such as staff training, networking, advocacy and cost-saving opportunities. Our objective is to help organisations survive, grow and thrive in Watford Town Centre.
Support staff retention and training
- Offer a comprehensive online training package tailored to our businesses, enabling flexible, accessible upskilling opportunities for their workforce to meet the evolving needs of their business.
- We will gather insights on employment trends and collaborate with key stakeholders, including local training providers, job centres and business support organisations. The aim is to help address workforce challenges, promote local job opportunities and improve staff retention in the town centre.
Support small-medium sized businesses with grant funding
- Offer a Business Improvement Grant scheme for small to medium-sized organisation, enabling them to enhance their premises, invest in innovation and contribute to the overall vibrancy and appeal of Watford Town Centre.
- Support businesses in Watford Town Centre to source and access grant funding and investment opportunities to assist their growth and success.
Support networking and business-to-business events
- Reintroduce the black-tie networking and awards evening to celebrate business excellence, strengthen professional relationships and raise the profile of Watford’s vibrant business community.
- Host ‘Breakfast with the BID’ to facilitate local connections and keep businesses informed of our work on a quarterly basis.
- Host ‘BID Socials’ that provide informal networking opportunities whilst being a great team evening-out for our businesses.
Support Watford Town Centre performance insights
- Monitor and maintain a local high street vacancy list for the BID area and identify market gaps for new investment.
- Provide deep, real-time insights into consumer retail spending to help businesses understand customer spending patterns to optimise their offerings and target markets.
- Utilise social media insights and Google Analytics to develop a clear understanding of customer demographic data. We will share these valuable insights with levy payers to help inform their marketing strategies and grow their business.
- Ensure all Watford Town Centre performance insights are easily and readily available to levy payers on our watfordtowncentre.com website, hosted in our ‘For BID Businesses’ section.
Champion collaboration
We’re committed to working closely with the local council, police, transport providers and our business community. Our objective is to deliver unified improvements and ensure the voices of Watford Town Centre businesses will be heard and acted upon.
Champion partnership working
- Collaborate regularly with key stakeholders in Watford, including; Watford Council, Harlequin Shopping Centre, Watford & West Herts Chamber of Commerce and Hertfordshire Constabulary.
- Strengthen the relationship between Watford Colosseum and our town centre businesses ahead of its reopening, particularly encouraging collaboration with the night-time and hospitality sectors.
- Connect relevant Watford Town Centre businesses with one another to facilitate partnership working, for example encouraging theatre guests to eat out in our town centre before their show.
- Continue to be an active ‘One Watford for Business’ member – a collaborative initiative aimed at supporting and promoting local businesses in Watford.
- Collaborate with Watford Council as it navigates the local government reorganisation. We will ensure businesses are informed, represented and supported through any resulting changes.
- Establish working relationships with global attractions Warner Bros. Studio and Watford Football Club, exploring promotional opportunities that better connect their consumers with our town centre and our businesses.
Champion local diversity, inclusion and culture
- Welcome local community and cultural groups to creatively transform underused spaces, including The Parade’s event space. Collaborate to host new projects and events that enrich Watford’s cultural identity, activate vacant areas and boost our town’s diversity.
- Work with local cultural leaders, community leaders and religious leaders to reach our broader communities, to ensure locals are aware of Watford’s offer, both socially and economically.
- Remain Proud Watford and Herts Pride ambassadors, working hard to achieve a progressive community where self- expression is celebrated and everyone takes active steps toward a wholly inclusive local society.
- Champion greater awareness and inclusion for neurodivergent individuals, working with partners to promote accessible spaces and events that reflect the needs of all members of our community.
Champion the voices of our businesses through strong advocacy
- Provide you with a ‘dedicated voice’ through an annual survey, ensuring your insights directly shape our priorities and guide our BID in delivering meaningful support for your business.
- Listen to your concerns around town centre operations and the trading environment, using your feedback to shape how we advocate for practical improvements at local, regional and national levels.
- Attend and participate in the monthly ‘Pub Watch’ meetings to support and advocate for the night-time economy businesses.
Champion Watford as a thriving town
- Work in partnership with the Elected Mayor of Watford and local councils; drawing on local consultations to help shape informed, responsive planning that reflects shared ambitions for our town.
- Support and promote the ‘Watford Business Pledge’ to encourage responsible business practices across the town centre. This means championing sustainability, community engagement, employee wellbeing and ethical operations.
- Continue to sit on the ‘One Watford Placeboard’, which brings together the town’s key partners across sectors to create and deliver a long-term vision of place to 2040.
Embrace sustainability and innovation
We’re committed to encouraging greener practices and embracing innovation wherever appropriate. Our objective is to future-proof Watford Town Centre and align with sustainability goals, both locally and nationally.
Embrace green initiatives
- Maintain and improve our FREE ‘Cardboard Collection Service’ with the goal of increasing the volume of cardboard collected each year, supporting local businesses in sustainable waste management and reducing environmental impact.
- Partner with other local stakeholders to host the ‘Watford Green Festival’. An event that encourages eco-friendly activities and promotes sustainability within the community.
- Support businesses in navigating upcoming legislative changes related to the ‘Green Agenda’ by providing guidance, resources and training to help them comply and adopt sustainable practices.
- Discuss with key partners regarding a range of sustainable transport proposals for the town.
- Maintain support for businesses in implementing green strategies that contribute to Watford’s broader sustainability goals.
Embrace forward-thinking ideas
- Incorporate new technologies such as AI software wherever it can optimise efficiency, productivity and help our BID maintain a competitive edge.
- Grow the ‘Watford Gift Card’ programme which boosts local spending and raises awareness of the ‘shop and eat’ local message. Explore advancements to the programme – such as contactless payments – that will align with consumer behavioural trends.
- Install a self-servicing, permanent Watford Gift Card kiosk in Harlequin Shopping Centre, providing an innovative solution that will improve the consumer journey.
Embrace future generations
- Build strong links with West Herts College and their students. We will strive to create employment and work experience opportunities that benefit both students and businesses. Students represent future talent as well as being valued customers to our town; their involvement contributes to a dynamic, inclusive and economically active Watford Town Centre.
- Back Watford Council’s approved plans to revitalise the town centre over the next 20 years, helping to make it an even more attractive place to live, work and visit for future generations.
