January 2025 – Change, Growth, and Hope for Our High Street in 2025

by | Jan 10, 2025 | Blog, Garforth | 0 comments

11 years and counting!

This month, The Main Deal turns 11 years old—where does the time go? I’m so grateful to be here still, offering services to local people and watching things grow in our community.

The start of 2024 was all about learning for me… and wow, did I study a lot! You know the kind of studying that hurts your head? But it was something I needed to knuckle down and complete. It gave me a deeper understanding of something that’s become a huge part of our lives—social media. Love it or hate it, digital marketing plays a massive role in today’s world and it’s forever changing; hence my need to study!

For businesses, it’s an incredible tool. Over the past 11 years of working with social media and marketing (20+ years in marketing).  I’ve learned how powerful it can be. It’s a way to connect you, the local community, to everything within arm’s reach—whether that’s grabbing a coffee, finding a reliable window cleaner, or discovering a fantastic local company to fit your new front door. I’m proud to help businesses along that digital path.

A Changing High Street

As many of you know, I don’t just work with businesses on our high street. Only about a third of our members own premises on the high street. A lot of my work involves supporting businesses and projects outside of it too.

This year, we’ve seen some of the biggest changes on the high street that I’ve ever experienced, with several businesses closing their doors:

  • CLO
  • Halifax
  • Floors and Snores
  • The Assembly
  • The old sweet shop (although Michelle Worrall Mortgages has moved to a new space above the shops).

But it hasn’t all been closures. We’ve also welcomed new beginnings, like Amy Longden PMU and her amazing community space, Luna Aura, located above the Co-Op.  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566842834718

Looking Ahead to 2025

There’s been plenty of interest in filling the empty premises, but we need the right buyers. Here’s hoping that 2025 is the year to breathe new life into these spaces.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support local businesses and make our community evolve. Whether it’s through social media or a good old-fashioned chat, I love helping businesses reach more people.

Be mindful  – of the UK Stats of a high street in 2024.

Retail Footfall Trends: In October 2024, UK high streets experienced a 3.6% decrease in footfall compared to the same period in the previous year, indicating a decline in visitor numbers. – so do your bit

 

Running a Business: It’s More Than Just Selling a Product or Service

Running a company requires a diverse set of skills developed over time. You might be exceptional at creating a product or providing a service that meets a need, but the truth is, all the “other stuff” matters just as much.

  • Customer Service: How you interact and communicate with clients can make or break your reputation.
  • Administrative Efficiency: Keeping your processes smooth and organised is key.
  • Timing: Delivering on time builds trust and repeat business.

These elements are the backbone of a successful company, and they come with experience and commitment.

What I look for in New Members

When welcoming new members to our network, we don’t just assess what their business offers. We dig deeper to understand:

  • How they operate: Are they efficient and reliable?
  • Why they are recommended: What do their past customers say about them?

Platforms like Trustpilot, social media, website reviews, and Companies House give us valuable insights into the true nature of a company. These reviews reflect whether a business is ticking all the right boxes beyond its core offering.

An Example to Consider

Imagine you’re running a cleaning service. It’s not enough to do an excellent job cleaning if you fail to communicate efficiently with your clients. Or, think about a farm producing premium-quality meat. Even if you raise the best cows in the ideal environment, your efforts go unnoticed if you don’t effectively market your product or provide outstanding service when customers reach out.

Why This Matters

When small businesses succeed in ticking all these boxes—product quality, communication, service, and efficiency—it’s a clear sign that they’ve worked hard to get it right. As customers, when we support these businesses, we’re not just buying a product or service—we’re recognising their dedication and effort to create an exceptional experience for us.

Takeaway: Running a business is about more than just what you sell; it’s about how you sell, how you serve, and how you grow trust with your customers.

If we get all the right, then we can offer these great businesses to you

New Year, New Members

We welcome our new members, check them out, they may be able to help you

WHAT’S COMING UP

  • Sunday 12th January 4 pm – 6.30 pm at The Holiday Inn, Slimming World Recruitment Event
  • From Tuesday 14th  January Luna Aura and SEND Parents Support Group find out more and further upcoming dates https://fb.me/e/2W0KKMNS2
  • Saturday 1st February At The Podger from 7.30 pm – Struggle Buggy – A 5 piece Good time blues band  https://fb.me/e/2bfzn8bhZCalling all new Mums to be
    Friday 7th February – Wren and Rose Brith Classes – at Luna Aura

    *Please check on events on the left-hand side of your Facebook page, you will find lots of local things happening in and around Garforth when you type in your location

    Planning

    (Possible) Car Park Charges – Barleyhill 

    Did you see the recent Yorkshire Post article (read it here)? Before Christmas, it mentioned that Leeds City Council (LCC) is considering introducing charges at four car parks across the city, including Barleyhill car park (behind La Bella Vita). People seem to think this is happening next week, but let’s clear things up—this proposal has been in discussion for over 12 months, and as far as we can tell, no concrete decisions or changes have been made yet.

    For accurate and up-to-date information about the proposal and how it’s being handled, I recommend checking out the local councilor’s page, where you’ll find the latest details on what’s being planned and how they intend to move forward with this proposal.

    Do I think it should be charged?

    It will discourage even fewer people from coming to Main Street (a lot already don’t come because they think they can’t park – rubbish, but that’s for another vlog or blog)
    I believe a better proposal would be to introduce a timed car park system for shoppers. For example:

    • Maximum 3 hours of free parking: This provides enough time for people to complete activities like hair appointments, doctor or dentist visits, beauty treatments, and shopping.
    • Charges for stays exceeding 4 hours: This encourages turnover, ensuring parking spaces are available for other visitors.
  • Take the shoppers’ car park behind The Greengrocers as an example—90% of the time, you can find a space because there’s a 1-hour limit. It works! The average person visiting a high street only needs about an hour, and you wouldn’t believe the positive impact this has on the local economy. When people can “nip in and out” easily, it brings in more footfall and boosts businesses. That said, I strongly believe shop owners should have access to permits for all-day free parking. Supporting the people who run local businesses is key to keeping the high street vibrant and thriving as well as looking after all who visit.If they charge from the get-go, it will just encourage people to park on residential streets instead – but what do I know!!

    Until February – enjoy January… no don’t it’s rubbish!!

 

 

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