York BID launches new Economic Data Hub for city businesses

A new online data hub designed to help York businesses better understand the city’s economy has gone live.

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 gives businesses access to insights on visitor spending, footfall, hotel occupancy and retail vacancy rates, helping them track trends and make more informed decisions.

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: “This is a transformative development for the city’s business community. 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. We’re proud to be part of a partnership that reflects a shared commitment to strengthening York’s economy for the benefit of all who live, work and study here.”

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. This dataset has been fully funded by the York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Mayor’s Vibrant & Sustainable High Street Fund for a period of three years.

David Skaith, Mayor of York & North Yorkshire, said: “High streets are constantly changing, but they have, and always will be, hubs for our communities. That’s why I’m backing community-led projects across York and North Yorkshire. Like York BID’s data hub, which is a great example of how we can use technology to level the playing field for our local traders. By providing businesses with real-time insights into spending and footfall, we are giving them the tools they need to adapt and thrive. Residents and businesses understand most what is needed in their communities, and I am proud to be backing their plans with my Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund.”

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 at: https://www.theyorkbid.com/york-economic-data-hub/ 

Businesses can find out more during York BID’s Economic Snapshot webinar on Thursday 23rd April at 10am, where the team will demonstrate how to use the platform. Click here to register your attendance for free, online.