Luton Business Heroes
The BID Business Heroes campaign recognises and celebrates the most inspiring individuals in our town .

Our first Business Hero announced last week was Andy Calvert, executive manager at Tokko Youth Centre and Luton BID director.

It was right at the beginning of lockdown that Andy instantly recognised the impact the pandemic was having on mental health and wellbeing.

He immediately set about adapting Tokko’s services so that young people were still supported at home - this has continued. Read his full story HERE

We will share more stories with you over the coming weeks. If you would like to nominate someone in the Luton BID area as a Business Hero, please click HERE, email [email protected] or call 01582 510 657.
Job Support Scheme expanded to firms required to close
The government’s Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be expanded to protect jobs and support businesses required to close their doors because of coronavirus restrictions.

the key points from the scheme are:
  • The government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to protect jobs over the coming months
  • Cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns have been increased to up to £3,000 per month
  • Firms whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work
 
The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month. For further information please click HERE.
COVID Corporate Financing Facility
The COVID Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) has provided £30 billion of direct support to some of the economy’s largest firms, who are responsible for almost 2.5 million jobs in the UK.

The CCFF provides temporary direct support to investment grade firms with short-term cash-flow problems and is designed to ensure that firms accessing government backed CCFF financing are then able to repay.

UKGI, as the government’s centre of excellence in corporate finance and corporate governance, is increasing its resources to help with additional COVID-related responsibilities, including work arising from the CCFF and this review process. For further information please click HERE.
Christmas promotion
During October/November, Luton BID will be encouraging people to think about starting their Christmas shopping early - promoting the message to shop local, eat local and stay safe in Luton town centre.
 
We are inviting all town centre businesses to submit offers for us to promote shopping in town centre stores/venues and to boost footfall.
 
Examples of offers can be things like:
·   Buy One Get One Half Price
·   Buy an item and get another item free
·   Discounts off purchases
·   Discounts over a certain limit of spend
·   Spend over a certain amount in our store in November and get a discount of X% voucher to spend in December
 
These are just examples, you may consider any offer you wish.
 
Get involved
To get involved please provide the following information to [email protected] as soon as possible.
 
·   Your business name and street that you are located on
·   Details of the offer
·   When the offer is valid from and to
·   Any other conditions you are placing on the redemption of the offer.
·   Your contact name, email and phone number (this is for office use only)
·   Please also send us a copy of your business logo or an image so we can include it on the voucher
 
How we will promote your offer
Your offer will be showcased on the BID website (www.lutontowncentre.co.uk) and via the BID's social media channels.
 
Shoppers will be able to click on a link to view and display your voucher on their mobile device when they visit your store/venue. They will show the voucher to redeem their offer - so please ensure you have briefed your staff.
 
All participating stores/venues will be given a poster to display in the window that they are part of the Luton BID Christmas offers and promotions campaign.
 
We aim for this campaign to go live on 1 November.
Business Support Guide

Our comprehensive coronavirus Business Support Guide has been updated to reflect the new phase of guidance as announced by the Government.

You are receiving this email as an existing contact on the Luton BID Business Improvement District (BID)  update list either because you have consented to receive our ebulletins, or under the GDPR legitimate interest criteria because you have an interest in the BID activities.
If you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of this email.


Luton BID is project managed by Partnerships for Better Business Ltd


Luton BID 01582 510657  [email protected]
www.lutonbid.org

Luton BID is project managed by Partnerships for Better Business Ltd (pfbb UK)