North Notts businesses urged to take advantage of savings scheme as they recover from lockdown

The scheme could save businesses thousands each year.

The North Notts Savings Service – which has identified potential savings of nearly a quarter of a million pounds since its inception in 2018 – allows businesses within the North Notts BID’s jurisdiction to submit their bills to its partner company, which then compares prices for outgoings like utilities, merchant services, waste management, stationery and pest control.

Meercat Associates then reviews the bills free of charge, identifying the best available offers and deals for the businesses to take up once their existing contracts expire.

While the scheme has been running for more than two years, it has seen a recent uptick in interest as small businesses look to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on their income.

Joe Sentence, ambassador at North Notts BID, said: “Since its inception in February 2018, the North Notts Savings Scheme has identified savings of £210,358 for local businesses.

“We believe that this service is a bit of a hidden gem that some businesses in the district have yet to take full advantage of.

"With many local firms suffering from a loss of revenue during lockdown, the scheme can be the kind of helping hand that they need.”

The savings scheme forms part of North Notts BID’s plans to help the district’s businesses recover from the economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown, which saw many companies shut down overnight in March.

Jane Parkinson, director at CW Waddington and frequent user of the scheme, said: “The North Notts Savings Scheme has been fantastic for us. It has enabled us to simply hand over all of our utility bills and get told how much we can save over the course of our contract.

“Generally, I would say the BID is a force for good. What we pay throughout the year is a fraction of the benefits we receive, and the team has been a great help throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

The BID has also recently relaunched its maintenance service, which allows members to make use of the a maintenance operative for small business improvements.

Visit www.northnottsbid.co.uk.