Services
Ultimately, business is about making money, so as well as helping to improve your turnover by generating additional footfall, we have developed a range of services that will help your bottom line. Most services are exclusive to HBID members only (with the exception of Team Hereford) and we encourage you to get in touch if there is something affecting your business or another way we can support you.
Team Hereford - Bronze Group
Team Hereford Bronze Group is driven by HBID with firm support from key city stakeholders. Team Hereford is for anyone operationally involved in the city; this could be security guards, public sector staff, store managers/ members, cleaning teams etc.
HBID chairs the meeting and intelligence is shared around the room on existing and emerging issues. Although there is a strong theme of city safety and security we also discuss cleanliness, rough sleepers, city maintenance etc. All HBID members are most welcome to attend from both the day and night time economies.
Monthly we also discuss and review the top 5 criminals in the city with a focused and methodical plan to reduce their activities. Run in conjuntion with DISC, Team Hereford is a powerful and shining example of sharing intelligence for a common goal.
DISC Mobile & PC Security App
HBID have strived to join up the security community amongst shops, pubs and clubs making it possible for you and your business to easily plug into what is happening outside your door. Hannah McCourt is our part time employee whose job it is to support businesses against crime ensuring incidents are reported for you to see, follow up reports and drive initiatives with the Police so that Hereford is as safe and as welcoming a place as it possibly can as well as helping protect your bottom line.
We have had great success since DISC's launch in 2017 with over 170 businesses across the day and night time economies using it.
What is DISC?
DISC is an app that sits on your smartphone and provides, in real-time, information on suspects, offenders and any security news and trends that are going on. You can also use DISC on your PC too, but it is primarily designed with mobility in mind.
DISC is FREE to all HBID members and is supported by an employed part-time member of staff who will help manage and co-ordinate intelligence as well as provide help and training to businesses that need support.
With DISC you can:
- Receive a weekly update on the city’s security news
- Submit Incident and Intelligence Reports swiftly
Quickly View:
- Banned Lists and Mugshot galleries
- Offender profiles
- Local security News, Alerts, Documents, up-coming Events, ID-Sought images
- Send Instant Messages direct to others for urgent, important up-dates and Alerts
- Compile Data to see trends in terms of crimes committed and locations
How do I get the App?
It's easy! Simply contact us by clicking here. We will be in touch to install the app on your phone and provide you with around 10 minutes of training (the app is very simple).
Marketing Services
We have a wealth of marketing channels to help your business reach thousands of consumers and invite you to send us your offers, products & services you would like to highlight along with any good news stories you might have. We can offer the following:
- Inclusion in our consumer e-bulletin sent to over 10,000 registered users (via our Wi-Fi) who want to hear about news and offers in the city.
- Coverage via the official City Website: Hereford City Life where offers and news can be found – you can even have direct access to upload offers as and when you need to.
- Online promotion via our Hereford City Life Facebook and Instagram pages to over 7.1k combined followers.
Enhanced Street Cleaning
With a team of two highly motivated and committed handy staff HBID is dedicated to keeping things looking their absolute best in your street.
Our team is both proactive and reactive; on any given day they might remove unsightly chewing gum outside your shop, vacuum the edges of your premises & pavement (where Balfour Beatty cannot reach), paint and repair damaged benches or plant and care for flowers in your street. If there’s something specific that concerns you, then, we will come to you to see what can be done – your concerns are ours and we want your area to look it’s very best, at all times.
For your convenience, we have a dedicated member of staff for any issues, so do not hesitate to call if you need help – even if it is something that HBID are not directly responsible for, but may be able to influence, such as loose paving or ripped rubbish bags (all of which we have campaigned for and succeeded to improve in the City).
Utility Service Deals
Keeping overhead costs down is critical to any business and we have asked members for their ‘best deal’ on a range of utility services to then share with other members who might benefit.
We have been working with Hereford based company Utility Helpline (a local energy savings broker) who for no obligation will look at BID member's energy bills and see if they can save you money!
The service includes:
*Free review of your bill at your business - without obligation
*Preferential rates from energy suppliers
*Free annual checks to ensure you remain on the best deal
*Face to face support and advice
Utility Helpline is an established local company and is regulated by the TPI code of practice. They have thousands of existing customers already (including BID members) and look forward to being of service.
Please be sure to mention the Hereford BID when calling them.
Phone 0800 043 0423 or visit their website www.utilityhelpline.co.uk
Training
We have delivered a range of courses free to BID members over the last few years.
If you have a specific need then please let us know. We are always keen to get feedback. If there is enough support from other businesses we look into whether it is possible to help.
City News e-bulletins
Our e-bulletins are designed to ensure that our members receive current and relevant information on opportunities available in Hereford.
From updates on the latest HBID projects to exclusive offers and marketing opportunities for BID members, our e-bulletins help you stay involved and up-to-date. We know how precious your time is, so we do our best to keep things straightforward and easy to digest.
Not on the mailing list? Let us know!
Hereford Floral City
This offer has now closed for 2021 - thank you to all businesses who took us up on this offer.
For 2021, we're offering an all-inclusive offer of TWO FREE hanging baskets for BID member businesses to brighten up the city as it begins to reopening post-lockdown. This offer includes installation, maintenance (including dead heading, replacing dead plants and watering up to 5 times per week) and removal of baskets at the end of the season.
If you would like to take us up on this fantastic offer, or want to find out more, please download the brochure and order form and email the completed form to info@herefordbid.co.uk
Business Mentoring
Hereford BID Offers 1-2-1 Mentoring for businesses
The Hereford Business Improvement District offers members a business mentoring service for those wishing to boost profitability, whatever the size of your shop or operation.
Upon request, we will arrange for renowned retail specialist Mark O’Dolan to come in and spend time with you, listening and observing your business, all with one aim in mind - to help you make more money.
Hereford businesses, particularly independents, often tell us that running their business can be lonely at times and some extra support, when it is needed, can make a huge difference. Mark O’Dolan brings with him over 30 years of managing and improving retail performance from all genres of retail shops; he will be your confident, offering professional but honest and positive advice that will make a difference to those important sales.
All advice and conversations are confidential between you and Mark and the package offered to BID members includes two visits plus a written report and telephone support when required. If you would like to take advantage of this service please contact the BID team.
Testimonials from BID members: from Kim at KiKi's Juice Bar - "We were very pleased when Hereford BID organised Mark O'Dolan's visit. We were over the moon with the advice and guidance he offered which without any doubt will increase our sales and profits. We love our business and Mark very quickly identified the real strengths of the business but most importantly the opportunities to increase sales. This is exactly the kind of help retailers need in Hereford and I really hope we see Mark again. Well done HBID for taking this initiative."
Camperdown Lane - “Thank you to the Hereford BID for arranging for retail mentor Mark O’Dolan to come and spend some time reviewing our business. Mark was both complimentary and constructive about our thriving new business, highlighting our successes and providing some invaluable advice to help us grow. We feel inspired and motivated about putting Mark’s advice into action.”
Weekly Footfall Data Report
Each week we send HBID members an informative footfall report on visitor numbers across the city along with an overall trend (since records began), dwell and peak times, weather for the week in question and comparison against national figures.
We have also launched a separate report for the Night Time Economy that focuses on pubs, clubs and restaurants core hours of trading.
LoyalFree - Hereford's Loyalty App
In 2020, Hereford BID worked with the award winning place-promotion app, LoyalFree, to offer Hereford BID businesses additional advertising to hundreds of local app users. With LoyalFree you can showcase your business with exclusive offers, loyalty deals and city trails.
By adding an exclusive deals to the LoyalFree app, you can benefit from:
- Advertising of your offers to locals and visitors
- Customer insights through a live dashboard
- Click-throughs to your website, social media, reviews via your business profile
- Features on local LoyalFree trails
Investors Information Service
Coming soon we will be launching an investor service for anyone considering doing business in the city. The service will provide information on premises opportunities, local facts and figures and business services that are available.
