Hitchin BID website successful

BID (or Business Improvement District) may not be a familiar term to you. The first one was established in Toronto in 1970, and BIDs reached the United States a few years later with the formation of the Downtown Development District in New Orleans in 1975.

Since then, BIDs have spread throughout Canada, the United States and South Africa as well as to New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Jamaica, Serbia, and Albania. There are now around 1000 BIDs worldwide.

A Business Improvement District is a partnership between a business community to develop projects and services that will benefit the businesses/trading environment within the boundary of a clearly defined commercial area. Although most UKBIDs are currently in town centres, the principle works just as well in other places, and there are already several BIDs established in industrial estates.

We supported the BID group in Hitchin by creating the website needed to support the application and vote. The vote was positive, the BID status was confirmed and businesses in Hitchin Town Centre will benefit for the next five years. Above image is from a BID-supported "Independents' Day" event for local traders.