‘City centre businesses have shown true resilience in fight to survive’

‘BLOWN AWAY’: Kathryn Shillito, executive director of Hull Business Improvement District (BID)

Businesses in Hull city centre have had to adapt to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Hull Business Improvement District executive director Kathryn Shillito told Rick Lyon they have risen to the challenge impressively

City centre business have today been hailed for their “incredible resilience” in battling through the Covid-19 crisis.

Businesses have been forced to adapt and diversify in order to survive the pandemic, introducing stringent safety measures before customers could return and, in some cases, moving their services online.

Kathryn Shillito, executive director of Hull Business Improvement District (BID), said she and her team have been “blown away” by the resolve shown by small independent traders, in particular.

Ms Shillito told The Hull Story: “We work with businesses of different sizes but in the city centre we do have lots of smaller independents, whether they are in professional services, retail or food and beverage.

“It’s been exceptionally difficult for them but they’ve shown true resilience. They’ve listened to the guidelines, accepted the help available and got on with it. We’ve been blown away by it, really.

“A lot of them have diversified their businesses and worked hard to make sure their customers feel very, very safe. That’s been a common theme – they wanted to make sure their customers feel 100% protected when they come into the city centre.

“I think that’s been really evident. Everybody’s followed the guidelines, taken the help available and made sure their customers have felt safe coming back in.

“It’s really admirable the way businesses have fought to save what they have.

“The feedback we’re getting from them is that it’s incredibly hard. There’s a period of uncertainty and things could change overnight but they’re prepared to deal with it and adapt their businesses as best they can.”

Hull BID supports 830 business across 1,190 city centre premises, covering a wide range of sectors.

Its objectives are to keep the city centre safer and cleaner, bring businesses together for a common purpose and generate footfall.

All businesses contribute 1 per cent of the rateable value of their properties to the BID and vote every five years to determine whether it continues.

This year, following lockdown, the board agreed to give businesses a 25 per cent discount on their annual levy.

SUPPORTING BUSINESSES: Hull BID aims to drive city centre footfall. Picture taken pre-lockdown

Ms Shillito said she believes Hull BID has played a crucial role in supporting businesses throughout the significant challenges of 2020 and remains cautiously optimistic about the future.

“We’re a ‘go to’ organisation,” she said. “We’ve been in a position to get information out about resources, grants, webinars – anything that we can glean from all of our contacts and stakeholders. It’s been important to share all that that with our businesses.

“It was key that we were communicating how they could get their grants quickly and how they could tap into any of the support available.”

Ms Shillito, who has been with Hull BID since 2009, said there are signs people are returning to the city centre, having being encouraged to do so by schemes such as ‘Eat Out to Help Out’.

But she accepts the future remains uncertain for many businesses.

“We’re gradually seeing footfall return into the city centre,” said Ms Shillito. “Naturally, we want to get it back up to something like the figures we had pre-lockdown but I do think it’s generally satisfactory.

“We’ve got very close links with the council, VHEY (Visit Hull and East Yorkshire) and Humberside Police, which means we really have our finger on the pulse about what’s happening in the city centre. We know which businesses are coming and which businesses are going.

“We keep a close eye on businesses that are vacating and occupying premises.

“Initially, we were concerned that we would see a good number of businesses fold but we haven’t.

“At the moment, we aren’t seeing a great number of businesses that are closing as a result of Covid but that’s not to say that, as time goes by, that won’t change.

“Time will tell but at the moment I think we are reasonably optimistic.”