Southport Business Enterprise



	SBE current activities and projects cover the following areas: Marketing Christmas Marketing Campaign Farmers Market Continental Market Business and Retail Strategy SBE Vision Environment and Safety Southport Business Against Crime Southport Evening Economy Strategy Traffic Management Chapel Street Pedestrianisation Chapel Street Area Business Improvement District Marketing Christmas Marketing Campaign For the majority of retailers, the 8 weeks before Christmas are the most important of the year, so SBE and Sefton Council annually produce a major marketing campaign to attract people to Southport. The campaign is typically SBE’s largest single project each year involving TV and/or radio channels, local newspapers and other print channels. Each year, local media, Champion Newspapers, Southport Visiter and Dune FM support the campaign. Many Southport retail support the campaign, by generously providing SBE with prizes, which enables further marketing reach to be achieved. Farmers Market The Farmers Market is the result of a partnership between SBE, various Sefton Council departments and Merseyside Police. Southport’s Farmers Market is a highlight in the monthly calendar and continues to attract over 70,000 additional visitors to the town every year. The Farmers Market is held on Town Hall Gardens on the last Thursday of every month between 10am and 3pm. This highly successful event is an incredible boost to the town’s economy and raises the awareness of all the wonderful attributes Southport has to offer. Continental Market SBE and Sefton Council have joined forces to bring a Continental Market to Southport. Shoppers are treated to a wonderful array of sights, including specialist products from France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Spain and the UK, lining the pavements of Lord Street enticing shoppers with its unique products. Hosting the event is a huge boost for the town during the festive season and significantly contributes encouraging people from further a field to visit Southport. Business & Retail Strategy SBE Vision SBE stakeholders have developed a Vision for Southport’s future as a quality retail and leisure destination. This document aims to provide a high level plan for Southport developments as a place to live, work and visit but also to raise awareness of Southport’s changing identity and the potential benefits for retailers who wish to locate here. The final document will be available soon. Environment and Safety Southport Business Against Crime Southport Business Against Crime (SBAC) is a partnership between the local business community, SBE and Merseyside Police. The function of SBAC is to combat all aspects of crime in the town’s shops and to make Southport a safer place to visit. SBAC, with its partners, controls and administers the town’s security radio network with radio handsets in over 85 stores throughout the town centre. The radios allow retailers to exchange information about the activity of criminals with the Town Centre, so that shop staff and security personnel know who is heading their way. In consultation with Merseyside Police, SBE complies information about active shoplifters working within the town and circulates a list of targets with their photographs. In May 2001, SBAC was awarded the Home Office Safer Shopping Award. Southport was the first area within Merseyside to receive the award. In April 2006, SBAC secured for the second time the Home Office Re-accreditation of the scheme. If you would like to join or for more information, please contact the Scheme Manager, Martyn Ball on 01704512215 or on 07772710413 or apply by email. Southport Evening Economy Strategy SBE joined with the Southport Partnership and Sefton Council in funding the Southport Evening Economy Strategy’s study. The aim of the study was to develop a vision and policy framework for a thriving and diverse evening economy for Southport. The Southport Evening Economy Strategy sought to address issues of low-cost alcohol, transport and dispersal, and the impact of public realm design on anti-social behaviour. Traffic Management Chapel Street Pedestrianisation Chapel Street is one of the main shopping areas in Southport and is also the main arrival point for visitors coming to Southport by public transport. As such SBE has been working with Sefton Council to pedestrianise Chapel Street to create a safe and attractive environment for shoppers and visitors. SBE’s involvement began in June 2003 with extensive and comprehensive consultation process which provided the business steer into how the final scheme should look and function. The Chapel Street scheme is an essential element in the regeneration of Southport and in raising the profile of Southport as a vibrant and successful commercial, retail and leisure destination. Chapel Street Area Business Improvement District Nowadays Southport is facing major competition from retail development schemes currently taking place in Liverpool, Preston and Warrington and it is important that we respond to these challenges. This is why SBE took part to a Business Improvement District (BID) pilot for the Northwest. A BID will enable retailers located in the Chapel Street BID area to optimise the newly pedestrianised Chapel Street, and directly and positively influence customer footfall. To know more about the Chapel Street Area Business Improvement District, click here.