Social Enterprise Case Study: Dewsbury Arcade
Empowering the Community to Revitalise the Town Centre
Dewsbury Arcade is a community benefit society that has taken on the challenge of revitalising the Dewsbury town centre. The project is focused on taking a ten year lease from Kirklees Council on the revamped Dewsbury Arcade, a space that consists of 16 small shops, 4 large ones, eight artist studios, and workspace. The project aims to create a popular and thriving Arcade that will never close again, providing a mix of retail, activity, and culture. The wider remit of the project is to fill the empty spaces in the town centre, turn around the depressing atmosphere, and generally regenerate the area.
To achieve its goals, Dewsbury Arcade is fostering a positive culture that is enterprising, well-organised, focused on solutions, and open to other people’s ideas. The project aims to achieve this by raising funds through a community share issue, allowing residents to own the business and elect the board. Dewsbury Arcade’s aim is to create a thriving and inclusive space that benefits the community and local economy.
Dewsbury Arcade chose the social enterprise model because it was the least restrictive model, allowing them to use board members when applicable. The social enterprise model allowed them to recycle everything back into the business and connect with other businesses. Although the Council had offers from private enterprises to take over the Arcade, they wanted to ensure that it would benefit the town centre and the local community.
Chris Hill from Dewsbury Arcade believes that the social enterprise model has many benefits.
“The share issue not only raises money but creates a clan of enthusiasts, we hope to have around 300 investors. The share issue also adds an enormous level of seriousness to the cause, and we have been approached by various filmmakers, including the BBC, to document the progress of the UK’s first community-run shopping centre.”
Dewsbury Arcade has eight voluntary board members. They have produced a history of The Arcade book and a video, involving 15 to 20 volunteers. As they enter the delivery stage, they plan to employ a manager for a year from July ‘24, as well as business advisors and marketing consultants, assuming they get their Heritage Fund approval in June.
One of the challenges of running a social enterprise like Dewsbury Arcade is dealing with the business environment, which is difficult in Dewsbury. The town has very few shoppers, so the shops cannot rely on foot traffic alone. They need to have a strong online presence and a shopfront to demonstrate their products. To tackle this challenge, they plan to organise various events like vintage days and different forms of markets to pull people in and create a positive vibe.
Another challenge of the project is to create a Fusion concept that blends Asian and Western cultures seamlessly. To achieve this, the project aims to have a balanced representation of tenants, board members, and staff from both cultures.
The community has shown tremendous support for the project, with thousands of Facebook followers who are eager to see the arcade flourish. Chris believes that the key to success lies in people and connections, and that the town centre experience is not just about sitting behind a counter and selling goods, but rather, it is about creating an inviting and welcoming environment that encourages people to come together.
The success of Dewsbury Arcade so far has been due to the trust and support of the local community. Plans are in place to start refurbishment this October with a view to opening in October ’24. Chris believes that the greatest aspect of being a social enterprise is the trust people give and the authenticity of the brand. If the community believes in the project, it can lead to sustainable business growth and success.
Dewsbury Arcade is an excellent example of how a social enterprise can empower the local community to take control of their local environment and create a space that benefits everyone.
With the recently launched Kirklees Social Enterprise Start Up Competition we’re looking for new ideas and businesses, like Dewsbury Arcade, to achieve our ambition to make Kirklees into a social enterprise place.
To find out more about how you could make your ideas for a social enterprise a reality visit the TSL Kirklees website or contact helen@tslkirklees.org.uk.