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Welcome
to the eighth edition of the Winchester Entrepreneur, the e-newsletter for businesses from Winchester City Council. We have been busy over the last few months putting
projects in place to help businesses through the recession. There have been
training courses, grants, marketing exercises and special events to name but a few measures to
help support the local economy.
Do let us
know if there are other stories you would like us to cover, so that we can
make this magazine useful to you, our local business community.
Best wishes
Cllr George Beckett
Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economy and Tourism, Winchester City Council
Free
Hospitality and Tourism Business Guide
Business Link and Tourism South East have
produced a Guide for business owners in the hospitality and tourism sector as
individuals, businesses and families cut back on perceived 'luxury' services
in light of the economic downturn. The survival and long term health of this
industry, which generated around £10.5 billion in expenditure last year and
accounts for 300,000 jobs in the region, is vital.
Business Link and Tourism South East urge businesses involved in this sector
to review their operations and find ways to respond to changing levels of
demand. The guide suggests ways for business owners to make improvements to
their enterprises so that they can be in the best shape to retain and attract
more customers.
The 16 page guide is focused on key challenges and opportunities for the
sector such as - managing cashflow; mitigating increases
in costs; reviewing supplier agreements and undertaking training to improve
customer service.
To get hold of a free copy call 0845 600 9 006 or go to
www.businessquestionsanswered.co.uk/hospitalityandtourism
Winchester High Street Refurbishment
 Works on the High Street refurbishment began on 14
September. The first stage of the works will be to replace sections of the
surface water sewer running under The High Street which will involve
excavations from the southern end of the High Street up as far as The Buttercross. The excavations will be reinstated with
tarmac on a temporary basis until the repaving work is complete. Once the
surface water sewer works have been completed the repaving works will start
during October. These will start at the southern end and move up the High
Street. Works are planned to take 1 year and there will be a break over
Christmas from 15 November until 4 January. Other breaks will be planned
around events as necessary.
There will be a temporary road closure for the duration of the works from Middlebrook Street to Jewry
Street. Two-way
working operated by traffic signals will be installed on Market Avenue to allow access to The Square and to the lower part of the
High Street for deliveries. This closure and the construction works will mean
that parking areas in the lower part of the High Street will not be available
during the construction period. The City Council are currently preparing a
leaflet to show where disabled parking can take place.
The contractor (Mildren Construction) and the City
Council and County Council's communication teams will liaise with the public
and businesses to keep them appraised of the situation and of progress
throughout the works through singing, information boards, newsletters and
letter drops. Information will be put on the City Council and County
Council web sites and a 24 hour telephone line will be available.
Serco will continue to clean the High Street
outside of the construction areas and will liaise with Mildren
Construction as necessary.
For more information, go to Hampshire County Council High
Street Refurbishment information pages or contact Andy Hickman, Head
of Access and Infrastructure on 01962 848 105 or email ahickman@winchester.gov.uk
www.visitwinchester.co.uk - We've got it and
we're flaunting it!
 Local tourism businesses
are set to reap the rewards from Winchester's fresh, new look tourism website.
The popular site at www.visitwinchester.co.uk
has just undergone an exciting redesign as part of Winchester City Council's
continued efforts to draw visitors to the area to support the local economy.
The site is now equipped with new imagery and features devised to tempt and
encourage visitors to spend longer exploring Winchester and the surrounding area - and to spend more in the process.
The website redesign is one of a series of new initiatives to capitalise on
the regionally confirmed 'staycation' trend.
Following extensive research into the habits of the previous site's online
traffic, development work on the new site commenced in January. The
contemporary, easier to use site is now also ready for the run up to the London Olympic
and Paralympic Games in 2012 when millions more
visitors are expected to plan trips to the UK from overseas. The overall aim is to make Winchester stand out as a more attractive proposition to visitors
browsing the internet for a UK destination, and to streamline the way information is
presented, reducing the number of clicks needed to reach it.
The site comes with brand new content to target different niche markets
including a 'body and soul' page for those looking for a relaxing break, plus
integrated 'microsites' for cricket and Jane Austen
enthusiasts with suggested itineraries. Visitors can now also plan ahead of
their journey using an online itinerary planner.
Following this successful website launch, Winchester City Council's e-access
development officer is also able to design and construct low cost website for
small local businesses who do not already have their
own web presence. This is aimed specifically at tourism accommodation,
eateries and independent retailers, but is also open to other local
businesses. Using our in-house expertise will allow you to save money on
a website, and get your e-marketing up and
running.
For further information please contact:
Kathleen McCulloch, E-Access Development Officer, Winchester City Council, tel 01962 848 296; email: kmcculloch@winchester.gov.uk
Advertising Opportunity
Winchester City Council is offering
local businesses a chance to advertise in its annual visitor guide. The
guide has a print run of over 45,000, and is distributed in response to
national advertising and PR campaigns in the UK and overseas; via enquiries
to the tourist information centre; tourist information centres and libraries
nationally, direct mail to the travel trade, and via www.visitwinchester.co.uk Prices
start at just £195 and the full rate card can be viewed at the new visitwinchester website http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/site/local-industry.
For more information, contact Rachel Gander, tourism marketing development officer
on 01962 848 556 or email advertising@winchester.gov.uk
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