Rochdale BID want to keep you updated with the latest news, information and advice during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Please check our website daily for more updates for businesses and website individuals.
What will Rochdale town centre look like on 15th June?
The majority of our BID Member Businesses will be able to re-open from the 15th June with additional safety measures in place.
This re-opening presents challenges and we want to make sure that you have the information and resources to plan and mitigate against them.
Queue Management:
Most businesses will have to restrict the number of shoppers on the premises at one time. Managed queues have become a familiar sight. The BID advises businesses to use the footway in a straight line along their building for queuing, allowing for pedestrians to pass.
Please speak with your neighbours to develop / agree how queues are to be managed on the footway and consider what interior space can be used for effective queue management. Where you are located next to an empty unit you may also be able to use that space. Providing a notice to show where an individual queue ends could be achieved with a window sticker.
To support your business for reopening we have produced a pack of assets that will allow businesses to put some physical distancing measures in place, in order to open as safely as possible to the public again. In particular, the free assets will go some way to helping shops and leisure businesses manage queues outside their frontages.
The pack includes:
- social distancing floor graphics
- safety posters
- an essential guide to opening safely
- Risk Assessment Template
The resources are free to businesses and can be ordered by emailing paul@rochdalebid.co.uk
Each unit in the town is unique. If you need bespoke advice, please contact paul@rochdalebid.co.uk who will help advice you about managing queues.
Access/Transport:
All the main town centre car parks will be open on 15th June.
Cycling and Walking into the town centre is to be encouraged for those who can do so.
Due to social distancing there will be limited space on transport services and you may have to wait - please plan ahead, avoid the peaks and be patient when travelling. From Monday 15 June, you must wear a face covering when using public transport. The only exceptions are young children, people with breathing difficulties and people whose disabilities makes it difficult for them to wear a face covering
Taxi services will continue as per normal.
Public Services:
Public Toilets will be in use at the Wheatsheaf Centre. The public toilets (except the disabled toilets) within the Exchange Shopping will remain closed.
Messaging:
Stay up to date with the reopening of the town centre by following:
Facebook - /rochdaletowncentre
Twitter - @RochdaleTown
Instagram - @rochdaletowncentre
Cleansing:
In preparation of the town centre reopening the BID has undertaken a deep clean of all of the benches along Yorkshire Street. The Council Street Clean Team will be delivering an enhanced a cleansing programme. Cleaning will remain at the top of our agenda.
LoyalFree has now been launched in Rochdale Town centre and it is free!
What is LoyalFree and How Can it Promote Your Business?
We at Rochdale BID are urging all businesses to take advantage of an innovative new scheme aimed at boosting trade and helping you bounce back from the Covid-19 lockdown.
The free to download app – which, so far, has more than 47,000 users – provides free advertising for local businesses to promote their offers and events, with the option to run a “loyalty stamp” scheme, feature in local shopping trails and sell products or vouchers online through a no-commission marketplace.
The app will promote businesses when the centre re-opens! In the meantime, however, there's ways of promoting your business now. If you are open and providing a service, even if that's in a delivery/takeaway capacity these can be included in a trail so the public can see that you are trading, or you could promote discount/voucher offers to buy now and use when you are open. The possibilities are endless!
Businesses can see the app and how it works at: loyalfree.co.uk/demo.
The place promotion app will highlight various aspects of Rochdale, including tourism information, business offers, event listings, interactive trails and more.
Businesses will benefit from the advertising of your offers and events to locals and visitors alike; you will get customer insights through a live dashboard; and links to your website, social media, reviews and more.
You will feature in town centre “trails” on the LoyalFree app, which will guide shoppers to a list of retailers, hospitality and leisure providers, such as Open for Business, Vegan Food, Family Friendly, Dog Friendly, Best Independents and so on. Eventually, these may be interactive ones where people can vote and scan.
Once some form of "normality" resumes and more businesses are opening up again the LoyalFree team along with Rochdale BID will visit your establishment and provide you with all the details you need to know including your own personal log in and a QR code for your customers to scan to collect discounts/points/rewards when they visit. All deal information is uploaded by the LoyalFree team so there's nothing extra for you to do other than let us know what your deals are as and when you create them.
LoyalFree also have a new Marketplace feature. This gives all businesses an online platform to be able to sell their products/vouchers online without having to have their own website. The LoyalFree team will set up your online account for you and then all you need to do is upload your products you wish to sell. This is a fantastic opportunity for levy paying businesses to trade on line without the hassle and costs of setting up your own digital platforms.
https://www.loyalfreemarketplace.co.uk/
There is nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain from providing us with your latest offers/deals and your current operating details so check out how LoyalFree can help your business during the recovery phase and beyond.
Don't delay, contact today!
info@loyalfree.co.uk
Thank you
As we support one another through COVID- 19, it is important that we continue to share the right information and official government guidance to help keep everyone in Rochdale safe.
The BID wishes to thank everyone in Rochdale for adhering to this temporary way of life. It is incredibly inspiring to see so many local people and volunteer groups pulling their resources together to look after the most vulnerable in our community.
Useful Links
COVID-19: what you need to do
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Support for businesses and employers during coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support
General guidance for employees during coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-and-support-for-employees-duringcoronavirus-covid-19
COVID-19: guidance for food businesses on coronavirus
If you have any queries regarding the support which his currently being offered, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 07811 278517.
Paul Ambrose
BID Manager
09 Jun 2020