Business Retention and Expansion Final Report - City of Brantford

54To assist the Retail and Business Sector, businesses indicated that Business Associations and EconomicDevelopment groups could:Retail/Service BusinessThis BR+E Project allowed respondents to answer an additional set of questions dealing directly with issues faced byRetail and Business Services businesses in the downtown.All businesses interviewed were located in the downtown business improvement area (BIA).Sixty-two percent (62%) of businessess believed that there is a strategy or plan in place for promoting and managingthe downtown district, while 27% didn’t know and 11% answered no.Of those responding yes, 56% said it identifies the issues important to the future of their business, 23% said it didn’tand 21% didn’t know if it did. Fifty-four percent (54%) said it proposes actions to address those issues, 20% said itdidn’t and 26% didn’t know if it did. Forty percent (40%) said either it was being implemented effectively or didn’tknow, and 19% said no.Fifty-eight percent (58%) believe the strategy is a comprehensive and integrated plan, 31% said they didn’t know and12% said no.Forty-two percent (42%) of respondents believe the plan is primarily focused on retail marketing and promotion, 31%said they didn’t know if it was and 27% said no.When asked if there is a group or organization that represents the interest of the downtown, 90% felt that the BIA representedtheir interest, as opposed to the Chamber of Commerce(60%).Participants were then asked to rate the condition of their commercial district. Percentages shown are for those thatselected “excellent to good”:Physical Setting:Condition - Excellent to GoodPercentStreet furniture 45%Public amenities 50%Planting, trees/flower boxes 67%Graffiti and litter 33%