York BID on how James Charles and Ryan Kaji confirm change

That was the advice of retail expert Ojay McDonald, chief executive of the Association of Town & City Management (ATCM).

Ojay addressed the changes needed at the Annual General Meeting of York BID (Business Improvement District), also highlighting how BIDs help deliver such change.

He said the world had evolved citing the examples of online star influencers James Charles and Ryan Kaji, who have a global following for their articles on make-up and toys.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Few in the audience of the Thursday evening meeting had heard of them and Ojay said this highlighted the extent of changes underway.

Familiar names like Debenhams were gone, but the changes were more than just delivery apps. Now people no longer need to work in an office, they don’t go to the cinema to watch films, physical currency is no longer needed and the digital economy has reframed how we understand the concept of proximity, he said.

Towns and cities were created to bring people together to trade goods, he explained, but the digital economy meant this proximity was no longer needed and the role of towns and cities was being eroded.

It means the traditional city centre was no longer essential, the high street no longer a place where we meet, and “we need to make it a place where we want to be,” which meant making them safe and attractive.

Retail expert Ojay McDonald, Chief Executive of the Association of Town & City Management (ATCM) addresses Thursday night’s York BID AGM. (Image: Darren Greenwood)

“We need to work hard at it because it (the high street) is not essential anymore. We need wholesale change.”

However, high streets are not governed from high but face a ‘mess’ of different shareholders, who need to “be on the same page” to deliver change.

The high street faced three main barriers, a volatile rating system, low public sector investment, and a high cost of occupying property, with fragmented property ownership.

This leads to a ‘ghost town’ Britain of empty premises, or one full of charity shops or betting shops, or ‘clone Britain’ where the high street is full of the same brands.

BIDs, Ojay explained, become a facilitator, they gather intelligence and help people understand the change they are seeing. BIDs influence policy and they make a meaningful difference to a city centre environment.

They can co-ordinate, help delivery, including safety and crime reduction initiatives. They help with placemaking, public realm, regeneration and offer business support.

They help fund or host cultural events and street activities that boost footfall.

York BID is among the best BIDs in Britain, Ojay added, winning two national awards in two years. Previously, it would approach other BIDs for advice, but now others come to it.

In the questions that followed, Ojay said heritage is “one of the strongest draws for anybody” and towns and cities should “lean into heritage as much as possible.”

He also agreed with a comment from York Central MP Rachael Maskell, that if centres are child friendly, this will bring their parents and their spending money.

 This is one of multiple articles which are being published on The Press website as part of a special report on city centre trade which can be found in this weekend’s edition of the paper.