Rochdale BID want to keep you updated with the latest news, information and advice during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Please check our website daily for more updates for businesses and website individuals.
Local PPE Suppliers
The Rochdale Development Agency has pulled together a handy guide to show which local suppliers are providing PPE. If you would like a copy of this guide please contact Paul Ambrose on paul@rochdalebid.co.uk.
Examples of businesses that have reopened safely
Government social media channels continue to share examples of businesses that have reopened safely. We have compiled a list of examples from a variety of retail businesses, explaining how they are ensuring safe working, see below.
Food Glorious Food, Carlisle, North West, Retail
Tweet: https://twitter.com/cabinetofficeuk/status/1263381149713420288?s=20
East of Eden, Walthamstow, London, Fitness & Wellbeing
Tweet: https://twitter.com/cabinetofficeuk/status/1260858631119085569
Brighton Gin, Brighton, South East, Retail
Tweet: https://twitter.com/HMGLondonSE/status/1262762307941105668
Sewell on the Go, Hull, Retail
https://twitter.com/HMGNorth/status/1263759191782686720?s=20
King's Head, Buckinghamshire, South East, Retail / Hospitality
Tweet: https://twitter.com/HMGLondonSE/status/1265971464072724481
To Be Consumed, Leytonstone, London, Retail / Hospitality
Tweet: https://twitter.com/HMGLondonSE/status/1266305566097338370
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme timeline
Please find below the key changes and deadlines you need to be aware of for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme:
- From 1 July, employers can bring back to work employees that have previously been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim CJRS grant for their normal hours not worked. When claiming the CJRS grant for furloughed hours employers will need to report and claim for a minimum period of a week.
- The scheme will close to new entrants from 30 June. From this point onwards, employers will only be able to furlough employees that they have furloughed for a full 3 week period prior to 30 June.
- This means that the final date by which an employer can furlough an employee for the first time will be 10 June, in order for the current 3 week furlough period to be completed by 30 June. Employers will have until 31 July to make any claims in respect of the period to 30 June.
Find out more information here: https://bit.ly/2zdheFn. Further guidance on flexible furloughing and how employers should calculate claims will be published on 12 June.
Face coverings
As per the Transport Secretary's announcement in yesterdays press conference, wearing face coverings on public transport will be mandatory in England from Monday 15 June.
Key points to note:
- The new guidance refers to face coverings - not surgical masks.
- Exemptions will be made for very young children, the disabled and those with breathing difficulties
- You can be refused travel if you don’t comply and could be fined. Alongside transport operators, this will be enforced by the British Transport Police, as necessary.
You can find the Transport Secretary's full statement here: https://bit.ly/DfTStatement. Further guidance will follow in the coming days, which we will circulate.
Coronavirus FAQs page – updated
The Coronavirus FAQs page has been updated with additional information on social distancing: https://bit.ly/CV19FAQs.
Free Physical Distancing Resources and reopening guidance
To support your business for reopening we have produced a pack of assets that will allow businesses to put some physical distancing measures in place, in order to open as safely as possible to the public again. In particular, the free assets will go some way to helping shops and leisure businesses manage queues outside their frontages.
The pack includes:
- social distancing floor graphics
- safety posters
- an essential guide to opening safely
- Risk Assessment Template
Businesses will only be able to open once they have completed a risk assessment and are confident, they are managing the risks. The risk assessment must:
- Identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus.
- Think about who could be at risk (employees, visitors, members of public, contractors, etc)
- Decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed
- Act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn’t possible control the risk
- Periodically review in light of changes to work activities or guidelines
The resources are free to businesses and can be ordered by emailing paul@rochdalebid.co.uk
LoyalFree has now been launched in Rochdale Town centre and it is free!
What is LoyalFree and How Can it Promote Your Business?
We at Rochdale BID are urging all businesses to take advantage of an innovative new scheme aimed at boosting trade and helping you bounce back from the Covid-19 lockdown.
The free to download app – which, so far, has more than 47,000 users – provides free advertising for local businesses to promote their offers and events, with the option to run a “loyalty stamp” scheme, feature in local shopping trails and sell products or vouchers online through a no-commission marketplace.
The app will promote businesses when the centre re-opens! In the meantime, however, there's ways of promoting your business now. If you are open and providing a service, even if that's in a delivery/takeaway capacity these can be included in a trail so the public can see that you are trading, or you could promote discount/voucher offers to buy now and use when you are open. The possibilities are endless!
Businesses can see the app and how it works at: loyalfree.co.uk/demo.
The place promotion app will highlight various aspects of Rochdale, including tourism information, business offers, event listings, interactive trails and more.
Businesses will benefit from the advertising of your offers and events to locals and visitors alike; you will get customer insights through a live dashboard; and links to your website, social media, reviews and more.
You will feature in town centre “trails” on the LoyalFree app, which will guide shoppers to a list of retailers, hospitality and leisure providers, such as Open for Business, Vegan Food, Family Friendly, Dog Friendly, Best Independents and so on. Eventually, these may be interactive ones where people can vote and scan.
Once some form of "normality" resumes and more businesses are opening up again the LoyalFree team along with Rochdale BID will visit your establishment and provide you with all the details you need to know including your own personal log in and a QR code for your customers to scan to collect discounts/points/rewards when they visit. All deal information is uploaded by the LoyalFree team so there's nothing extra for you to do other than let us know what your deals are as and when you create them.
LoyalFree also have a new Marketplace feature. This gives all businesses an online platform to be able to sell their products/vouchers online without having to have their own website. The LoyalFree team will set up your online account for you and then all you need to do is upload your products you wish to sell. This is a fantastic opportunity for levy paying businesses to trade on line without the hassle and costs of setting up your own digital platforms.
https://www.loyalfreemarketplace.co.uk/
There is nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain from providing us with your latest offers/deals and your current operating details so check out how LoyalFree can help your business during the recovery phase and beyond.
Don't delay, contact today! info@loyalfree.co.uk
Thank you
As we support one another through COVID- 19, it is important that we continue to share the right information and official government guidance to help keep everyone in Rochdale safe.
The BID wishes to thank everyone in Rochdale for adhering to this temporary way of life. It is incredibly inspiring to see so many local people and volunteer groups pulling their resources together to look after the most vulnerable in our community.
Useful Links
COVID-19: what you need to do
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Support for businesses and employers during coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support
General guidance for employees during coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-and-support-for-employees-duringcoronavirus-covid-19
COVID-19: guidance for food businesses on coronavirus
If you have any queries regarding the support which his currently being offered, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 07811 278517.
Paul Ambrose
BID Manager
05 Jun 2020