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INVERNESS CITY CENTRE MANAGEMENT (ICCM)

Today, there are around 300 town and city centre managers in the UK. City Centre Management has arisen as traditional town/city centres respond to an increasingly competitive retail climate. Inverness, once a traditional town and now a new millennium city has moved with the times and developed its own City Centre Management company. 

The survival of the city centre is of critical importance not only as a natural focus for retailing activity but also as a focus for and a demonstration of civic pride and identity.

The basis for city centre management is the belief, that if city centres are to capitalise on their natural assets, and tackle their problems, an integrated approach is required. This must involve both public and private sector energies and resources. Inverness City Centre Management does just that.

Established in May 1997 as a company limited by guarantee, ICCM started with a budget of c£40,000, a membership of 20 and one employee. By 2002 Inverness City Centre Management has the biggest private sector support in Scotland with almost 150 members and employing three staff.

Acting as a catalyst and liaising between local authority, the business community and consumers Sharon Mackay, the City Centre Manager aims to achieve optimum city centre conditions for all users, be they visitor, student, shopper, resident, employee or employer. 

Our mission statement is: -

‘Through a shared commitment
create a city centre
which not only meets, but exceeds
customer expectations’

A partnership approach has been the key to success to date and consequently strong foundations are being built for the future.

We have concentrated on five issues over the past five years:

Entertainment: in order to attract more people to the city centre we co-ordinate a range of events throughout the year. Events include:-

  • Summer and Winter Entertainment Programmes

  • Monthly Farmers’ and Craft Markets 

Marketing: in order to broaden the city’s attractiveness in terms of its retail mix and wider leisure appeal, a number of initiatives have been carried out and include:-

  • Identity and event banners promoting the city’s many wonderful strengths and activities

  • 80,000 Christmas shopping brochures distributed, door to door, by Royal Mail

  • Television advertisements/Newspaper and media campaigns

Communication: raising awareness of city centre issues with relevant people and highlighting the benefits of supporting the city are on-going. To maintain dialogue and stimulate support a range of tools are used:-

  • The “Direct Benefits for Members Only Package” acts as a carrot and our membership is now the highest in Scotland 

  • The annual report and business plans are important communication tools

  • 800 newsletters are circulated quarterly and planned Business Breakfasts will enable members and others to get together to discuss city centre issues

Physical and service improvements: achieving a clean and safe city centre is a key area of our work. ICCM works in partnership to foster the effective provision of services and projects include:-

  • the appointment of John Kerr as City Centre Officer to deal with city centre fabric issues

  • During the Spring, Summer and Autumn each year, floral baskets adorn the streetscape. We encourage businesses to support this initiative

  • over 30 businesses support the Retail Radio Link scheme and in conjunction with CCTV is proving very effective and helps provide one of the safest City Centres in the country.

Monitoring: monitoring Key Performance Indicators and carrying out Market Research Surveys enables a better understanding of progress. Qualitative and quantitative data are gathered throughout the year and we hold statistics on footfall, vacancy rates, crime and retail sales etc.

For the future, it is vital that we attract new members to Inverness City Centre Management not only to ensure its survival but more over to include the views of the wider business community in our future plans. The private and public sector must continue to work together to improve the fortunes of the city.

Contacting Inverness City Centre Management.

If you have any views on how we can improve the city centre experience or simply wish to let us know what you enjoyed about your visit, please email us by clicking here.
 

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