Gregory Couzens Hair Salon in Rochdale voted a Most Loved Business in National Competition

Greg Couzens - Most Loved Business, Prize Winner Beryl Doggett & Deborah Bell - Best of Rochdale

February has always been a special time of year for all those in love. It is a time when loved ones go out of their way to show they care. And that’s just what Deborah Bell and Gary Tunney  have been encouraging local people to do in Rochdale.   Greg Couzens in Rochdale have been doing the same and made an extra effort to show how much they are appreciated and loved locally and have won the title as the ‘Most Loved’ business in Rochdale.

 

The Local & Loved awards has seen the best businesses across the UK go head to head to earn the title of ‘The Most Loved Business in the UK’. For the 14 days leading up to Valentine’s Day consumers have had the chance to review their favourite local businesses reinvigorating and raising the profile of their local community. During the competition tens of thousands of reviews were added equating to one every 11 seconds as the contest reached its crescendo. The locals here in Rochdale have really done their bit.

• Several of the Most Loved Businesses come from Rochdale

• Anthony K Vehicle Leasing -  Finance Brokers

• Funky Floral - Florists

• TBD Associates – Accountants

The campaign set up by Deborah of thebestof Rochdale said, “It’s been so exciting to see such a huge number of people actively talking about the great local businesses and demonstrating their feelings by voting in the Local & Loved campaign. It just goes to show how much our communities are supporting their local independent businesses, which is great news for our local area. Independent businesses are at the heart of our Rochdale and lots of local business owners – and their loyal staff – are feeling great today because their efforts have been recognised and appreciated by so many of their loyal customers.” 

 Greg Couzens of Rochdale said the following;

 

 “It’s so rewarding and a real honour to see how much our customers value what we do. It is great to see people coming out to support local businesses. We are hoping that this Local & Loved campaign becomes a whole year of love for ourselves and other local businesses too, indeed if this is the case whilst we might be winners, in the long run so will all local businesses in Rochdale”

 

Top retail bod praises Rochdale towns

Adam Torevell - Middleton Town Team Chair, Mark Widdup - Director of Economy & Environemnt RMBC, Steve O'Toole - Middleton Town Team Vice Chair, Greg Couzens - High St Foundation Vice Chair, Lisa Durkin - NW Town Teams Advisor and Paul Clark - High St Foundation Chair

A town centre guru who is advising the government on the future of the High Street has praised the borough’s approach to recovery at a celebration to mark the second anniversary of the High Street Foundation.

Lisa Durkin, the North West town team and Portas Pilot Advisor,for the Association of Town and City Management  spoke on key findings of  the  ‘Town Centre Futures 2020 Experian Report Speaking at the event at Hopwood Hall College, she praised the establishment of thriving town teams in Heywood and Middleton, a key recommendation of the 2011 Portas review.

She said: “The structure of the town teams in Heywood and Middleton, where the retailers and community take the lead role with support from the council, are among the best I’ve seen and it’s a model I recommend to other towns across the North West.

“When I last addressed the High Street Foundation last year, they were just ready to set up the town teams, so it’s great to come back and see that they’re not only here, but really well established and achieving great things.”

Adam Torevell, from the Middleton town team, reflected on the last 12 months which has seen them organise the hugely successful Oktoberfest which attracted 1,500 people into the town centre for a weekend of music and food.

The team also set up a pop up shop, cited by many retail experts as an important move to help revive high streets, in the Arndale. The unit, which now operates as a pop up apprentice shop, sold I love Middleton merchandise and allowed small business to come in and test trade. It also offered health checks and business start-up advice.

Frontline workers in Middleton town centre, including staff at the Arndale, have also become town centre ambassadors. They have been trained up in all things Middleton, including the importance of its historic buildings, and are on hand to offer visitors a friendly face and the lowdown on great things to do in the town.

The team has even bigger plans for the next 12 months, with Middleton arena set to start showing films and sporting events on a big screen. The launch of a teenage market is also in the offing for Easter.

And Heywood town team has also been busy, producing a promotional directory for business looking to come to the town with details of vacant units and rates payable.

The team have also installed decorative lighting in the Heywood memorial gardens.

 

But best is yet to come in Heywood. A key recommendation from high street studies they will be taking forward over the next 12 months is window dressing with a difference. The team have identified empty shops and are examining a number of innovative options to spruce them up. One of these is a sound board, a vinyl sheet covering the shop front which looks like a recording studio and carries a QR code which will allow people to download free music from local bands.

Over in Rochdale, moves to regenerate the town centre, with the official start of demolitions just around the corner, are being bolstered by a 25 per cent reduction in car parking permits. A free shuttlebus has also recently been launched to help people move around the rapidly changing town centre.

A packed programme for the next 12 months includes the launch of incredible edibles, a community planting project which will see public areas turned into vegetable plots, allowing people to pick and grow their own healthy food.

Councillor Peter WiIliams, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It’s great that we have so many large scale regeneration projects in the offing, but they are for the future and it’s important is that we focus on regenerating our high streets now.

“It’s gratifying to see our businesses and residents pushing forward so many innovative ideas which have all been identified by the experts as crucial to the future of the high street. I’m looking forward to seeing them implement more of their fantastic ideas in the coming months.”

All of the presentations from the High Street Foundation 2nd Anniversary Event can be viewed here: High Street Foundation 2nd Anniversary Presentations

Planning for Business Growth Event

6th March 2014, 8:00am, Hopwood Hall College, Middleton Campus

“Business Breakfast Focusing on Growth & Entrepreneurship and a disciplined approach to both.”

 

GROW your business in 2014. Get up to speed with the business support opportunities now available to Greater Manchester companies to help you achieve your ambitions.

 

This FREE event, aimed at ambitious business leaders, will provide an overview presentation of the Greater Manchester Growth Hub and the National Growth Accelerator service, along with presentations from:

• Lead Speaker: John Leach, Chairman of Winning Pitch on Growth and Disciplined Entrepreneurship. Followed by questions.


• Host: Peter Rhodes, Senior Partner of Molesworths who will give a brief outline of legal support services available to growing businesses.
 

Before the presentations there will be an opportunity to network over breakfast and then following the presentations there will be a further opportunity to network and arrange appointments for one-to-one advice from specialists in these key areas.

Agenda

• 8.00am - Breakfast & Networking
• 8.30am – Welcome – Peter Rhodes (Molesworths)
• 8.30am – Hopwood Hall Hello
• 8.35am – Business Growth Hub - Business Support Offer - Michael White, Growth Manager
• 8.45am - Growth Accelerator: Business Offer
• 9.00am - John Leach—Chairman Winning Pitch Growth Case Study- “Disciplined Growth & Entrepreneurship”
• 9.30am Molesworths – Disciplined Growth/ Business Support
• 9.35am Close & Networking

Book Your Free Place Here