Chesterfield bucks national trend for declining high streets

The market town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire has shown growth across the board and bucked the national trend for declining high streets.

The news was delivered to more than 200 members of Chesterfield’s business community which gathered to celebrate the success of the town’s marketing campaign, Destination Chesterfield, on Thursday 28 March.

Cllr John Burrows, vice chair of Destination Chesterfield, praised the town’s go-getting attitude to marketing itself in a tough financial climate, saying: “We could have chosen to bunker down and ride out the recession, but we didn’t. We chose to be proactive and forge ahead with our marketing plans and this shows in the recent employment, tourism and retail figures.”

Headline facts and figures about the Town include:

• Unemployment decreased by 0.5%
• 11% increase in jobs in the tourism sector
• 1000 jobs to be created on the town centre’s extension, the Northern Gateway site
• £3.1m funding secured to start the first phases of residential and commercial development at Waterside
• 11% increase in tourism spend in the local economy
• An additional £1/2 million spent in local economy as a direct result of the Christmas marketing campaign

Huw Bowen, chief executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, commented: “We’re still a challenged town and Borough; however the figures show that we are moving in the right direction. That is why Destination Chesterfield is so critical in actively communicating everything we have to offer to potential inward investors, whether it’s excellent transport links, a good choice of commercial property or a burgeoning local economy. By marketing what the town has to offer and supporting the businesses already here we can create stable, fulfilling employment opportunities.”

Destination Chesterfield was launched in September 2010. Funding for the marketing campaign has been secured from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) until December 2015, ensuring the marketing campaign’s on-going success.

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