Celebrating our retail scene

Did you know that Destination Chesterfield has been around for three and a half years in March?

During this time I am proud and delighted to have been part of the team that has helped spread the message of our town’s success and make it a place businesses want to invest in and people want to live.

We have experienced some great achievements during this time, however it’s important to take time to reflect on this success; where we’ve come from and where we are going to. That’s why the Celebrate Chesterfield events are so important. We held our latest one on 19th March and 200 members of the local business community gathered at the Proact Stadium to hear from myself the Destination Chesterfield team.

Whilst we might have done the talking , we are in no doubt that it is the engagement of the local community – businesses, schools and residents – that has been instrumental in the tremendous success of Destination Chesterfield since the campaign began in 2010.

Today we have more than 140 Chesterfield Champions and the support for the campaign is stronger than ever, many taking the time to get actively involved either speaking at or sponsoring Destination Chesterfield events.

Our brand new Retail Awards are no exception. Launched at the Celebrate Chesterfield event, the awards capitalise on the town’s ongoing success as one of the UK’s top 10 best performing centres with the least vacant shops.

They aim to seek out, recognise, celebrate and promote Chesterfield’s retailers as well as highlighting their commitment and importance to the town and the local economy. Our town has a thriving retail economy which is envied nationally.

Where other town centres are faced with high vacancy rates, Chesterfield is bucking the trend and attracting high street names such as Debenhams and ToysRus as well as independent retailers, giving us an excellent mix of shops, helping us attract visitors to our town and investors to the area who are keen to capitalise on our retail success. Only last month it was announced that the national department store Boyes would be opening in Chesterfield.

The success of these awards however is down to you. Shops and stores can only win if they are nominated by you, their customers.

Making a nomination is free and the nomination period is open from 1st April – 30th April with the winner being announced at a grand awards ceremony at the Assembly Rooms on 18th June.

If you’re reading this following a recent shopping trip and you want to recognise the store for their excellent customer service or brilliant disabled access, then nominate now by simply filling in the form or online at www.chesterfield.co.uk/retailawards.

Make no mistake, you are instrumental in the success of the 2014 Chesterfield Retail Awards.

Award winning start to the year for Chesterfield

It can be easy to forget, but a little recognition can go a long way and really does make a difference. For three years Destination Chesterfield and the Borough Council have worked hard to shout about everything that is great about the town, encouraging businesses and people to live, work and invest here. It really is a joint effort.

We were delighted therefore when our efforts were officially recognised recently at the inaugural UK Placemaking Awards, where the Chesterfield Borough Council’s regeneration team was named as Placemaking Team of the Year. Some of the support team involved in achieving this significant result for the Town attended the Awards Ceremony  in London in order to accept the award.

The awards recognise the projects, plans and people that are making places better through planning, regeneration, urban design, economic development or community renewal.

From the out-set Destination Chesterfield has been a team effort involving not just the campaign's marketing team and the Councils Regeneration team, but also the business community and the many Champions who actively support the campaign. Without their commitment we would not have made the measurable impact we have. The Placemaker award is a pat on the back for everyone who has actively participated in the Destination Chesterfield marketing campaign.

The awards and national recognition for Chesterfield didn’t stop there. Less than 24 hours later Chesterfield’s Market Hall was officially named as the UK’s best small indoor market. Since the Market Hall re-opened after its £4 million refurbishment it’s fair to say that opinion has been divided on the new look.

However, the results speak for themselves. Since re-opening market traders have reported doing good business, with significant increases in turn over, and the office space  above the markets will shortly be fully occupied. The council is also actively marketing promotional and retail space at the heart of the retail area near to the cafe.

Just look at other successful  towns and cities  and you will discover that it is the ones that are constantly evolving and investing who thrive- Our Market Hall is an excellent example of both. It is developments such as this and the forthcoming Chesterfield Waterside project that are putting the town on the map and bringing it to the attention of investors who, in turn, are creating opportunity for residents as well as future generations.

Only two months in to 2014, we have already celebrated success. If we are to maintain this good news throughout the year and beyond we must not lose sight of the fact that making our town a success is a team effort - the Placemaker award is testament to that.

Looking foward to 2014

Firstly - Happy New Year to all readers!

Chesterfield could not have asked for a stronger economic foundation on which to enter 2014. The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce’s (DNCC) Quarterly Economic Survey for Q4 was released at the beginning of this year showing that the recovery that began in Q2 of 2013 had accelerated in Q3 to enable the area to finish off the year strongly.

In fact, figures from DNCC show that more than two thirds of businesses operating in Chesterfield expect turnover to improve over the next 12 months. George Cowcher, DNCC Chief Executive tempered this by saying: "Much work still needs to be done to ensure the recovery experienced is sustainable." I couldn't agree more. Chesterfield, however, should be confident it has laid the foundations for continued success and we will continue to see evidence of this throughout 2014.

In the first quarter of the year, the diggers will finally roll on to the Chesterfield Waterside site to begin construction of the first phase of new homes. In 2013, Chesterfield was one of the first areas to report a housing boom and it looks likely this will continue with a number of developments planned throughout the town.

In fact Barratt Homes, which is building 68 new properties on the former Chesterfield Football Club site on Saltergate, is one of the major contributors to the £300,000 Hornsbridge roundabout artwork –‘Growth’ – which will be appearing at the main gateway into Chesterfield from the M1 later this year.

There are many reasons to visit Chesterfield, not least out thriving restaurant and retails sectors. After the success of the inaugural Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards in October 2013, I am delighted to announce that the Destination Chesterfield board has approved the presentation of the awards again in 2014. We have also decided to launch the new Retail Awards-as with all awards, you have to be ‘in it to win it’ and we’ll tell you more about the competition process nearer the time.

Our aim is for 2014 to be the town’s most successful year yet both at home and away. That’s why we will be celebrating everything that comes from Chesterfield, whether it is food, arts and crafts or engineering equipment; we have a lot to offer, and many businesses based here are actually supplying goods throughout the world. Destination Chesterfield intends to celebrate this fact with our Made in Chesterfield campaign to be implemented in the autumn.

One thing that is sure to put the town on the map before then however is the arrival of none other than Sir Tom Jones at the Proact Stadium in June. He’s just one of many big names coming to Chesterfield’s entertainment venues in 2014, so if you’re not lucky enough to secure tickets for Tom, there is plenty more which is sure to be happening!!

As Tom Jones once asked: “What’s new pussy cat?” I can tell you with confidence there’s an awful lot new for Chesterfield this year.

A successful year for Chesterfield

Each month I endeavour to provide a snapshot of Destination Chesterfield’s current successes and future plans for the town. As we enter the New Year I thought now would be an appropriate time to reflect on all that Chesterfield has achieved to date , paving the way for more good news, development and investment in 2014.

Probably our proudest achievement as a town is that we’re emerging from this recession in better shape than ever. As my colleague and Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield Cllr John Burrows tells us: “We could have chosen to bunker down and ride out the recession but we didn’t. We chose to forge ahead with our marketing plans.”

As a result, we’re coming out of this recession fighting and we have the figures to prove it.

In May, the 16 hectare, £340 million Chesterfield Waterside development was announced as one of the UK’s largest Regeneration and Renewal projects. With detailed planning permission granted towards the end of 2013, work will start on the first residential phase early in the New Year. Already it has been hailed as an exciting example of best practice regeneration taking a largely vacant area centre and creating a vibrant new environment of buildings and open spaces, finishing runner up to the Olympic Park in the National Regeneration and Renewal awards.

In July we reported a housing boom, well before other towns and cities in the UK. House prices in the Town have risen *7.7%, the highest figure throughout Derbyshire, which puts us above the national average house price increase of 6.5% a year.

In September, Chesterfield was named as the only town north of the Watford Gap to be in the top ten of towns with the least shop vacancies. The town’s vacancy rate – which fell from 8.7 per cent last year to 7.7 per cent in 2013 – puts us in the top ten large centres in the country, way below the 13.5 per cent average.

Our retail offering has improved month-on-month, with large high street names and independent retailers choosing to make Chesterfield their home. Throughout 2013 we welcomed a number of major retailers to our town, including TK Maxx, B&M Bargains, Hobbycraft and Asda Living.

While other high streets may be strugglings, Chesterfield’s is growing with retailers attracted by a wealth of available property and development sites. We further added to this offering when we celebrated the re-opening of the Market hall in October after its £4 million refurbishment, helping attract more independent retailers to both the town centre as well as outlying areas like Chatsworth Road and Whittington Moor

As part of the growth in property and retail, our food and drink offering has improved substantially in recent years, so much so that we hosted our very own Food and Drink Awards in October with none other than Ainsley Harriott as the host. I am delighted to report that we are already looking ahead to the 2014 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards with some sponsors already signed up.

We have built a very powerful investment message for our town and in November we took it to Westminster, where we met potential investors from the property and retail sectors as well as the Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna MP. He praised Destination Chesterfield saying, ‘it is a good example of the public and private sector working together and taking responsibility to attract investment and promote their town.’ Looking at everything we have achieved together these last 12 months, I couldn’t have said it better myself

*http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/html/17ud.stm

Tasty future for Chesterfield

The Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards certainly did what they set out to do – put the town’s hospitality sector in the spotlight. Not only did the awards unite our thriving hospitality sector, they showcased the up and coming talent emerging from Chesterfield College as the students catered for the ceremony. And delicious it was too.

The town really embraced its first ever Food and Drink Awards. We had no shortage of nominations, sponsors and contributors, all keen to make it a success. There really was something for everyone, right down to the table decorations on the night which were supplied by local artist and Chesterfield Champion Clare Gage. The entire project has once again showed how the people of Chesterfield really care about the success of the town and want to be part of it.

More importantly, I would like to think that the awards sent a very clear message to young people about the opportunities that exist right here in Chesterfield. They were able to see for themselves that we have a thriving hospitality sector ready and willing to offer careers to young people. The best restaurants and hotels are not in the cities, they are now right here on our own doorstep and represent an opportunity to retain our home-grown talent.

The town now has more choice than ever for places to eat and drink. In November alone we welcomed the Market Plaza Café to the newly refurbished Market Hall as well as The Wingerworth Pub & Kitchen on the outskirts of Chesterfield. If dining out is a marker of a town’s economy, then ours is booming. We got the opportunity to shout about our success to major retailers and property developers, which was hosted by Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins recently at the Houses of Parliament.

The event showcased the town’s potential to retailers and developers in order to attract new investments and present Chesterfield as the place to be for business development and job opportunities.

Yes, we have attracted some big retailers to the town, Hobbycraft and Asda Living being the latest names to join the Ravenside Retail Park, but we must not rest on our laurels. We have a future generation of workers to think about providing jobs and homes for.

Having seen for myself the talented young people training at Chesterfield College I, for one, do not want to lose them from our local economy due to lack of opportunity. I am confident however, that together, we can build a sustainable and very bright future for Chesterfield.

Improving our gateways

"It would be remiss of me not to mention the fabulous weather we have had this summer, give or take a few thunder storms. Luckily, they seemed to miss the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket at Queen's Park. The good weather and the cricket pulled many visitors to our town and, it seemed, the train was a popular choice of transport.

Each day of the week-long festival we witnessed a steady stream of cricket fans make their way from the station, up Corporation Street and through the heart of the Town to Queens Park. And soon the station will offer an equally appealing welcome as the town centre, as it is earmarked in the Borough Council's £500,000 Gateway Enhancement Scheme .

The improvements will happen at the Hornsbridge roundabout, which you can currently have a say on your prefered scheme and the Railway Station Link – which includes Crow Lane from the railway station past the Chesterfield Hotel and across the public footbridge, which links to Corporation Street and the town centre.

The train station is vital to our local economy. The excellent direct rail links Chesterfield has with major towns and cities is just one of the many reasons why companies and people choose to locate here. Testament to this is the fact that property developers and estate agents in the town are reporting a boom in sales. Miller Homes East Midlands has described Chesterfield as being "at the top of the wish list for many couples, families and individuals looking to buy."
It's an excellent good news story for the town. Things are very much starting to look up for both the local and national economy. We have never stopped investing in our town - the £4 million redevelopment of the market hall being a prime example - and this shows by the fact people want to come here to live, work and visit. So many towns have fallen victim to the recession and report ghost town high streets. Not us. We are booming.

To quote my colleague, Councillor John Burrows, Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield: "We could have chosen to bunker down and ride out the recession, but we didn't. We chose to be proactive and forge ahead with our marketing plans and this shows in the recent employment, tourism and retail figures."

Chink of light at the end of the tunnel

Second only to our world-famous crooked spire, Chesterfield’s market is also a well-known and loved feature of the town and is an important part of our heritage. We not only have one of the biggest open-air markets in the country, but we will soon have a spectacular brand new indoor market.

The end is in sight for the £4 million renovation of our Market Hall. In October the awning will be lifted off the new glass roof, and the refurbished market hall will be unveiled and opened, once again, for business.

Chesterfield Champions were privileged to have a recent behind the scenes tour mid renovation and, without exception, everyone felt excited and positive about what this major investment means for our town and economy.  Aside from what you’d expect in a market, there will be office space and, more importantly, incubation studios specifically for new and fledgling businesses. This must make Chesterfield market not only a great place to shop but also a rich vein of business development.

Externally, the Market Hall will add yet another stunning piece of architecture to our town. All too often a visit into Chesterfield town centre involves a tunnel-vision approach. However look above the shop fronts and you will see some historic and grand buildings that, when put together, make us a very attractive town and tourist destination.  It can come as no surprise that we were voted as the Coach Friendly Town or City of the Year at the annual Coach Tourism Awards earlier this year.

Now we just need to sort out the main gateways to Chesterfield town centre to ensure they don’t let down our Town, which is so full of character. I am confident that such improvements will happen sooner rather than later as there are plans to transform the Donut roundabout area in an estimated £50 million development scheme into a high quality shopping and leisure area, and to improve the ‘Donkin’ roundabout at the entrance to theTown.

Similarly there is strong interest for Chesterfield Waterside on both the housing and commercial elements of the scheme and it is hoped that initial works will start towards the end of the year.

I for one see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Construction projects across the country, indeed the world, have slowed in recent years however the economy is picking up and nowhere is this more clear than Chesterfield.

Markham Vale for one continues to attract investment. Already more than 200 jobs have been created on site in the past couple of years and now Ready Egg is building a new factory which will create 50 Jobs. I am confident we will hear more success stories like this going forward as investors recognise the potential in Chesterfield and commit money and resources.