TAVISTOCK Business Improvement District directors have pledged to do more to spread the word about its events to promote the town following concerns raised by traders.

Shopkeepers and other town businesspeople spoke out at the AGM of BID held at the Bedford Hotel in Tavistock on Thursday night, October 19.

Some shopkeepers said that people were not finding out about events, such as the popular Easter Bunny Hunt organised by the BID at Easter, until after they happened.

The event involved 50 shops in the town, but one retailer asked why more had not been asked to take part.

Tavistock BID manager Lisa Piper said that the trail had to be restricted as the idea was to find 50 bunnies in shops around the town.

‘We did try and pick shops in each area of the town, as the whole point is to try and get the circulation of shoppers around the town.’

Estate agent Andrew Kirby said he felt this pointed to a general problem with the BID committee’s communication and marketing.

‘If you are spending a shed-load of money on events and we are not hearing about them, then what is the chance of the general public hearing about them?’ he asked.

‘I’m passionate about the town, and my business survives because of the shops. If Tavistock thrives, we thrive with it. I’m worried that if we are not getting information how are other people from outside the town going to get information about what is going on?’

Tim Randle asked BID directors why they were not spending more on advertising to entice people from further afield into the town.

‘When it comes to the advertising and marketing to get people from outside Tavistock to come into Tavistock, advertising spend is quite minimal,’ he said. ‘I think we do need to have a marketing plan. There’s no money being spent on getting people who live 15, 20, 40 or 100 miles away to come to Tavistock.’

All traders in the town are a member of, and pay a levy to, the BID, which first set up in 2011 to encourage shoppers to travel to the town to shop in the independents.

The organisation puts on Christmas lights every year in the streets in the town. It also stages a number of events throughout the year, including the forthcoming Dickensian Evening, this year being held on December 1, with the aim of making Tavistock a destination for shopping.

Clare Knowles-Brown who runs the boutique La Cache on Brook Street, said she loved Dickensian evening, but that the street entertainment was in danger of diverting visitors away from the actual shopping during the evening.

‘In the past three or four years, there has been a decline in sales, because nobody comes in because all the entertainment is all in the streets. Which is fantastic, but it doesn’t help the businesses.’

Ms Piper said she was ‘more than happy’ to come and listen to ideas from traders for enticing more shoppers into the town. ‘I’m very open to help and advice,’ she said.

BID chairman Robin Rich, closing the AGM, said: ‘Everything has been taken on board and I don’t want to be sitting here in a year’s time and having the same things addressed. We have got to work to get it better and it will be better.’