This is a trade facing website. Visit the ACT's consumer site thecyclingexperts.co.uk for information and advice on cycling and find your local independent cycle retailer.

Search News

Results: 91-100 of 881


19 Jun 2024

Better Bike Social, a festival of cycling that will include a range of talks, workshops, and weekend rides, is coming to Brighton next month.

17 Jun 2024

Cycling enthusiasts in Shrewsbury and Warrington being treated to new cycle shops.

17 Jun 2024

Sustrans has released a manifesto in the lead-up to the General Election that lays out steps the future government needs to make to remove barriers to cycling and other forms of active travel.

17 Jun 2024

Independent family-owned cycle shop Arragon’s Cycles has teamed up with train operator Avanti West Coast  to make Penrith station a designated pick-up point for bike hire –...

17 Jun 2024

Swansea-based ACT member Uprise Bikes has opened its first brick and mortar showroom as it enters a new phase of growth and expands its presence in the growing e-bike market. 

12 Jun 2024

A £1 billion damages claim has been filed against Amazon on behalf of retailers selling on Amazon’s UK marketplace for illegally misusing their data and manipulating the Amazon Buy...

6 Jun 2024

Bradford-based Pennine Cycles has been named a High Street Hero in the Small Awards.
 

6 Jun 2024

Lee & Darren from Spokes People, one of Cytech’s UK training providers, are attending the National Cycling Show this weekend and will be delivering various workshops and sessions for...

3 Jun 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association has released the second episode of its 'High Street Matters' podcast series, this time tackling the important issue of accessibility for independent...

3 Jun 2024

Road Traffic Estimates data published by the Department for Transport has shown a 7.3% decline in cycling miles travelled and a 2.2% rise in car journeys between 2022 and 2023. It's...

Back to news menu

Bira releases new podcast exploring accessibility on the High Street

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

The British Independent Retailers Association has released the second episode of its 'High Street Matters' podcast series, this time tackling the important issue of accessibility for independent retailers.

Andrew Goodacre

The episode 'Accessability - Unlocking The High Street' dives into why and how indie traders should focus on making their retail spaces more inclusive. Featuring interviews with key figures, the podcast explores the commercial benefits of embracing accessibility.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: "Many indie traders talk to me about this. They want to be accessible. They can do the things they can control themselves, but a lot of the time they see steps taken around them where people are putting barriers up to coming to the shops and the high streets, and often parking is seen as one of those barriers."

He questioned how some local authorities and added: "They are wanting to be greener, wanting to be more sustainable, wanting to be in their eyes more inclusive. A lot of those plans invariably lead to pedestrianised areas, a realigning of the road network, effectively removing cars out of the town centre...but when you start changing a place and creating unseen barriers to people using that place that starts when these plans are not cohesive and not thought out."

Tony Elvin, General Manager of Touchwood Shopping Centre, said how prioritising accessibility has driven success through schemes such as Purple Tuesday and ShopMobility.

He said: "An independent newsagent's feedback from Purple Tuesday was that a wheelchair user since he moved his shop around they couldn't get a wheelchair through. They could get to the counter but couldn't get around everything they needed. And literally, by turning a counter around he has seen his business increase by people being able to get into his store. He felt like he should have known this already, but only when he received it he realised it. He was delighted by the fact that small changes to make his store more accessible made such a difference."

The podcast also features insights from Alisa Forbes of the International Longevity Centre UK, whose recent "Healthy Retail, Hints and Tips" report underscored the business case for making shops more accessable.

She said: "Above all else it makes commercial sense. A headline statistic tells us that by 2040 older households could be responsible for spending 63p in every £1 by customers. There is also a study which shows a positive in-person experience turns that one-off customer into a loyal repeat customer, whether that's a clean toilet, a welcoming smile, product at the right height. Customers spend in shops when they feel comfortable and welcome. And there is also a moral and social benefit too...our local shops are really vital to the health of our local communities and retailers have a key role in enabling customers to live healthier, happier and more active lives by the actions they take."

Hosted by journalist Steve Dyson, the podcast guides retailers through affordable ways to enhance accessibility within their premises while highlighting the moral, social and economic incentives.

Independent retailers across the UK can subscribe to the "High Street Matters" podcast through major streaming platforms.

New episodes will be released throughout the year and feature issues including the sale of hazardous substances, the cycle to work scheme and many other themes relevant to retailers today. 
 

Back to news menu

Useful links

If you have any other queries please contact us.