Business representatives in Knaresborough have said there is a buzz about the town as more companies seek to relocate there.

Despite the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Stray Ferret has recently reported a flurry of new shops opening on the high street.

The latest addition – The Knaresborough Lock Centre – opened on Monday.

Owner John Long said:

“The town was lacking a DIY, hardware, lock shop and I felt it was a good time to open up. We have had a warm welcome in the town and are positive about the future.”

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade has said the number of empty shops is decreasing, offering further cause for optimism.

Bill Taylor, treasurer of the chamber, said:

“Many people seem to have used the lockdown to develop business ideas and see Knaresborough as a great place to start their new business.

“The chamber had a record month in August for new members and September has started in the same vein. It is a great time to be a business owner in the town, there is a real buzz around now with several new shops about to open and a very low number of empty shops currently being available.“

The number of empty shop fronts has decreased in the town, improving its aesthetic and encouraging more visitors to the town.

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The business and community website, Knaresborough Online, painted a similar picture of an increase in business interest in the area.

“Since the easing of lockdown we have noticed an increase in general enquiries about relocating to Knaresborough. This flurry of interest is supported by the recent opening of a number of new businesses in town, including a new pet shop, Persian rug store, restaurant, butchers and a DIY shop. These are really encouraging signs as we move forward after a difficult few months.”

A group hoping to form the Knaresborough Business Improvement District (BID) is developing a business plan before moving into the campaign phase next year.

The group has its task force in place and now wants to engage more local businesses.

It has employed consultants to speak to businesses within the town in order to gain support for a ballot in March.

BID organisations work with funds collected from businesses – this is an additional levy to business rates. Knaresborough’s BID will use a band structure based on the rateable value of each business to determine how much they contribute.

Treasurer of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and BID representative, Bill Taylor, said:

“We’ve now got around two thirds of the money we need for the project. We currently have around 30 businesses who are supportive and we need approximately 100 businesses to support us to gain a majority.

“The business plan is based on needs of business but we want them to add to it – we want to give them the platform to express their opinions. Undersold and unknown were two of the words highlighted in a survey of Knaresborough businesses last year and we want to change that. We want to improve the public view of Knaresborough to increase visitors and then encourage business.”

Common themes adopted by BIDs include improving marketing, further support for businesses, support for visitors to boost trade and accessibility and sustainability within the town. All of these are being discussed by Knaresborough BID.

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Harrogate Borough Council has offered its support to the BID, and will be a large contributor. The BID also hopes to work closely with the Knaresborough Chamber of Trade.

Harrogate BID has faced criticism this year – four board members including the chair stepped down stating there was undue influence by the council. More recently the council leader Richard Cooper also stood down.

BIDs across the country can encounter issues when trying to find a common ground for the objectives within its business plan. Bill Taylor says Knaresborough’s size is an advantage:

“We have to be careful of getting fractured and disjointed which due to our small size we’re hoping to avoid.”

Almost two-thirds of businesses surveyed by Knaresborough Chamber of Trade have reported reduced takings during the coronavirus lockdown.

The survey of chamber members, published this week, also revealed 50% of traders believe their footfall has decreased.

Lockdown encouraged several businesses to diversify, for instance by offering online sales or delivery or take-away options. Of the businesses that changed strategy, 75% said they were going to continue offering their new services.

More than 80% took advantage of the government rates relief grant and about two-thirds used the furlough scheme. Just under half have reopened with restricted trading hours.

The chamber wants to encourage people to support small, local businesses and hopes the survey will inform ways to do this.

Bill Taylor, Knaresborough Chamber of Trade secretary, said:

“As the country came slowly out of lockdown in July the chamber wanted to assess what businesses in Knaresborough had been up to during the lockdown.

“We also wanted to establish what support those businesses had obtained and see what measures were being taken to keep everyone safe.

“It was reassuring to see so many businesses using the time to understand the needs of customers through the provision of additional services, training and understanding what the post-lockdown landscape would look like.”

Knaresborough: the chamber wants to encourage people to return to local stores rather than use online retailers.

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Additional comments on the survey suggested business owners wanted further promotion of the town and what it had to offer. Currently the Chamber promotes the #shoplocalstaysafe message to encourage the town’s residents to support local businesses.

The last remaining bank in Knaresborough, Halifax, was expected to close on 13 May but will now stay open if it attracts enough customers.

The initial decision to close the Halifax was made due to a 10% reduction in customer counter transactions from 2019.  It sparked real concern in the town and a campaign was launched to stop the closure.

However following the pandemic the bank remained open to support local customers. Halifax has told The Stray Ferret that they plan to keep the branch open during the pandemic but will continue to review its position in the future.

A spokesperson for Halifax said:

“We do not intend to permanently close any branches in the midst of this challenging period. Our priority at this time is keeping as many branches as possible open, so that customers can continue to access cash, and ensuring that those who are vulnerable or in financial difficulty can speak to colleagues.

We continue to review our presence to ensure that our branches are located in the right places and any future closure decisions will be driven by customer behaviour.”

The future of this bank will be “driven by customer behaviour”.

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This decision will come as a relief to local residents as the closure of the Halifax bank would have left the town with no banks and only three cash machines within the town.

The Knaresborough Chamber of Trade were pleased to hear of this development. Its president Steve Teggin said:

“The towns people will be elated with the news as we’ve saved a bank and now we still have one in the town. It’s a triumph for us but we’ve also saved a cash machine too. Halifax have now got to give us some confidence that they will stay and I think that will encourage people in Knaresborough to open up accounts with them. But for residents and traders too this is great news.”