Bold vision of Liverpool's Canarby Street

Jun 11 2008 By Alex Turner, Daily Post Business Staff

TRADERS in Liverpool’s independent, quirky shopping street are, surprisingly for their image, quite a homogenous bunch.

There is broad agreement of what Bold Street is and of what it should be. To them, Bold Street could be Liverpool’s answer to London’s Carnaby Street, or North Laine, in Brighton.

There’s also agreement on what needs to be done – traders need to work together to engender the independent spirit and market Bold Street in those terms. In short, to make a big effort to com- pete by pushing their unique selling point. But there are diverse views as to how it should be done.

One option is for Bold Street retailers to join Liverpool’s existing city centre Business Improvement District.

Staff from Liverpool BID, which already has 500 members, put the case for joining to the street’s retailers on Monday.

Presently, the BID’s boundary is Queen Square, Ranelagh Street, Church and Lord Street, Cavern Quarter and Whitechapel.

And the Liverpool BID team is keen to incorporate the city’s most indepen- dent street into its area, just as the opening of Liverpool One has increas- ed the need for the rest of the city’s retailers to work harder for their share of shoppers’ money. It also comes as shoppers are reining in spending on the high street as the economy turns down.

BID chief executive Rita Waters said: “We are keen to unite Bold Street and the existing BID area, as it is one of the city centre’s best assets.

“If they came on board they would have access to our economies of scale and help the street give its best possible offer to shoppers. It is a unique part of Liverpool’s retail landscape and BID could assist in promoting this in the long run, driving footfall.”

The BID already funds five addit- ional street cleaners and two street crime wardens for the city centre, as well as assisting with marketing.

“Extra street cleaning and the radio security network will help Bold Street become a safer, cleaner destination,” she said.

About 30 traders, from the 100 invited, attended Monday’s presentation at FACT, the Wood Street arts complex, with the BID team reporting extremely positive feedback from those present.

But a common complaint of BID schemes across the country is that they offer services which firms believe they already pay for – and are being asked to pay for a second time. The charge is made through an extra levy on business rates paid by commercial premises.

The levy is set at 1.2% of a busi- ness’s rateable value, if that value is above £10,000, which will include all but the very smallest retail outlets. The average levy for each shop would be about £500 a year.

Andy Lea, manager of Maggie May’s Cafe, who was not at Monday’s meeting, said: “There’s an additional fee to be a part of it and we’re not too impressed with it.

“That’s our biggest gripe, the rates. With the extortionate rates we pay, we should be receiving the services anyway.”

It is a view that finds sympathy with Mandy Vere, from the News from Nowhere bookshop farther up the street. She is “a bit sceptical” about the virtues of joining the BID.

“We pay our rates for the streets to be cleaned and it’s galling to be told you’ll get all these extra things, such as getting the streets swept effective- ly, by joining BID,” she said.

But she is open to the idea of pay- ing extra to see an improvement, if not entirely happy with it.

Dick Mawdsley, co-owner of the street’s two Utility home and giftware shops, believes traders should expect to pay more to improve the area.

“When you have independent businesses, there will be resistance for crossover services. We will get enhanced services, the city council aren’t going to lay on extra cleaning.

“There are successful BID models all over the place there are hundreds in this country and in the USA,” he said.

But, regardless of cost, there are concerns about value, with some retailers keen to maintain Bold Street’s identity and avoid seeing it subsumed into the wider city centre. Ms Vere said: “We were led to believe the money raised from the compulsory levy, if it goes ahead, would improve Bold Street and that Bold Street traders will get to choose how to spend that money, but it turns out Bold Street will not get a separate pot of money.

“It needs to be promoted as a unique area – because it is unique – and it’s certainly very different from Liverpool One and Church Street.”

And Maggie May’s Mr Lea be- lieves only the Bold Street traders know what can maintain the street’s special atmosphere.

“We know what helps bring trade to our businesses,” he said. “It is collaborating, rather than paying a separate body to do it. We have zero confidence in anybody else. It’s better to stick together and try and organise it ourselves.”

Mr Mawdsley is receptive to that, but believes the BID offers an oppor- tunity for Bold Street to benefit.

“I am pretty much in favour of joining the BID. Whatever we can do to improve Bold Street is going to be a good thing. While there’s a cost implication, it’s not horrendous. Bold Street is a mess and we need to get it into shape. And he is also keen on a street-specific collective, to retain and promote Bold Street’s character.

He said: “There’s a hardcore of traders who are trying to put together a formal Bold Street traders’ association and behave more like a shopping centre, as Liverpool’s cool, independent quarter, and send out that message, for example by having our own website.”

And he thinks that Bold Street should follow the example of one south coast city’s shopping district that is successfully working together.

“There’s a classic example in Brighton – North Laine – they have a traders’ association that is also a business improvement district. It’s a similar standard and fashion-orientated.

“They have put together a long-term strategy. Brighton is only one hour from London and they get swamped every week.”

And he is clear that Bold Street traders have to appreciate the extent of the competition they face and take action. We are competing with Liverpool One and the rest of the city centre – St John’s and Clayton Square, which are being refurbished. There’s also Manchester and the Trafford Centre. We have got to behave as though we are competing with all these places.

“If everyone gets behind it, it can thrive. If people sit back and say nothing will happen, it will be the death of it. People need to get on board,” said Mr Mawdsley.