Here’s how a new York online hub will track your data to better understand the city’s economy.
York Business Improvement District (BID) has introduced the York Economic Data Hub – a free, web-based platform bringing together key economic data in one place.
The hub aims to help businesses track trends by giving them access to insights on visitor spending, footfall, hotel occupancy and retail vacancy rates.
York BID says the platform will also help create a clearer and more consistent picture of the city’s economic performance, while providing a stronger evidence base to support investment, policy decisions and future projects.
Chris Bush, business manager at York BID, said: “We’re delighted to be launching this resource for York’s business community as part of our ongoing commitment to monitoring the commercial performance of York city centre.
“By bringing together data on everything from visitor spend to retail vacancy rates, we hope the hub will help businesses make decisions with more confidence.”
The initiative has been developed in partnership with York Business School at York St John University, which has supported the project through the provision of a dedicated data analyst.
Brendan Paddison, dean of York Business School, said: “Access to timely, reliable data is essential for navigating today’s complex economic environment.
“By enabling better insight into trends such as consumer behaviour and city centre performance, the hub will play a key role in driving resilience, innovation and sustainable growth across York.”
A core element of the hub is an Advanced Beauclair subscription, providing detailed insights into monthly debit card spending, sector performance, customer demographics and catchment.
City of York Council is also contributing data through its BT Active Intelligence system – drawing on anonymised data from millions of BT and EE device users visiting the city. The collaboration marks the beginning of a more formal data-sharing partnership between York BID and City of York Council, supporting a more joined-up approach to how data is used and communicated.
Hospitality Association York (HAY) are also a contributing partner, providing monthly occupancy data from hotels and serviced accommodation across the city.
The York Economic Data Hub is now live and available to view here.
Businesses can find out more during York BID’s Economic Snapshot webinar on Thursday 23 April at 10am, where the team will demonstrate how to use the platform. Register your free place here.
