Total Travel triumphs as top Tidy Trader in Heckmondwike
After months of support offered to businesses across Heckmondwike, the first winner of the Tidy Trader initiative has been chosen.
Total Travel is the first of four businesses in Heckmondwike to win our Tidy Trader competition. A new winner will be selected by the judges each quarter, each to receive a bespoke package of marketing support by Yorkshire-based marketing professionals Youbee Media.
Who is Total Travel?
Originally starting out as part of a national chain, Total Travel were one of over 100 branches that had originally been marked for closure back in 2013. It was then that Katie, who had already worked at the branch for over ten years building a great relationship with the local customers, decided to take on the shop as an independent business.
Why did they win?
The judges were impressed with all elements of Total Travel’s appearance, giving it near-perfect scores out of 10 across the board for its cleanliness, creativity, and accessibility. They were particularly impressed with the shop’s window display which was eye-catching but not cluttered, and their window was well-maintained and kept clean, adding to the visual appeal of Heckmondwike’s high street.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, says:
“We’re pleased to announce the first winner of the Tidy Trader competition in Heckmondwike. Congratulations to Total Travel for beating the competition and winning over the judges with high marks across the board!
“This initiative, championed by local ward councillors, goes hand-in-hand with our blueprints and is a clear demonstration of our unwavering commitment to supporting local businesses and creating successful and vibrant town centres.”
Katie Butler, Manager of Total Travel, said:
“It was a lovely phone call to receive to say that we had won. Our team and myself were thrilled. As an independent business everything you do you source yourself and to win marketing support is amazing and hopefully will help us further our reach across Kirklees. We are very proud of our little town centre shop.
“We work closely with our customers and suppliers and are proud members of the Association of British Travel Agents. It is amazing how many times we have a customer come in and say they did not realise we were here – after 12 years too!
“We are excited and interested to see the benefit of the new bus station. Hopefully, this will smarten up the town and encourage potential business owners to trade in the town and take up some of the empty premises.”
What makes a Tidy Trader?
Last year, we ran a series of workshops open to businesses in Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike followed by regular marketing advice emails from industry experts. Any local business owner can still take part in the competition and sign up for the next series of marketing tips on the council’s website. Successfully implementing these could make your business the next Tidy Trader, winning professional marketing support tailored to your business.