Bristol Christmas 2010 – Christmas Starts Here With News of All the Markets, Events and Shopping

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CHRISTMAS IN BRISTOL 2010

This year Bristol hosted some of the very best and most popular events ever including the Balloon Fiesta, Harbour Festival and BristFest, to name but a few. Now Bristol has its work cut out to make Christmas as memorable an experience as the 2010 summer months. Fear not however, Bristol will not let you down since the itinerary of Christmas activities this year is bigger and better than ever before. There will be more champagne corks popping in Bristol than in any other city in the country. Bristol will host more events, more decorations, new attractions, better shopping and more festive spirit in order to provide Christmas shoppers and visitors to Bristol with a sparkling and festive atmosphere.

Christmas in Bristol officially commences on Thursday, 11 November 2010 when the switch on of the even bigger and brighter Christmas lights will occur (127,000 lights in Cabot Circus alone). Also, on this day the Christmas tree lights in Bristol’s city centre will be switched on together with other Christmas lights throughout the city centre, making this one of the most spectacular Christmas displays ever (this should silence the critics of last year regarding the “lack of lights and decorations”.

In competition to the Winter Wonderland skating rink at Cribbs Causeway, a “state of the art” skating rink will be located in Quaker’s Friars and surrounded by exclusive shops and restaurants including the Cabot Centre. Not to be forgotten is Bristol’s permanent ice skating rink located in Frogmore Street, just off the City Centre which also offers a large number of different activities available for all the family – so come on all you budding “Torvil and Deans” – no excuse now!

Bristol shopping is some of the finest available in the country, with major centres like The Mall, Cribbs Causeway incorporating over 125 top name stores together with free parking whilst the Cabot Centre in Bristol provides a further 150 stores, shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants. Parking is available but unlike The Mall a charge of £1.20 for the first hour and £1.00 every hour thereafter is asked which is a shame as it should be free parking for Christmas shoppers. Alternatively, there is always the “Park & Ride” in various locations around Bristol. Clifton Village in Bristol possesses a wonderful array of boutique style shops offering unique ideas for Christmas gifts. With a very pleasant ambience and charming watering holes in abundance Clifton is a delight to explore. Other exciting shopping venues in Bristol include St Nicholas’ Market, a great place in which to rummage for a bargain or discover a gift, both unusual and unique – a great place to visit suggesting a bygone era. Park Street will keep you fit whilst shopping! Although a steep climb the array of quirky individual boutiques together with high-end retailers make this worthwhile – in fact a perfect reflection of Bristol residents’ eclectic stylish look.

During the months of November and December there is an enormous array of diverse markets in and around Bristol. These range from German, French and English markets supplying food, wine and gifts to craft markets with locally made interesting gifts and crafts ideal for a unique Christmas gift. Further details of these diverse markets can be found by clicking onto the Christmas card icon located on Activ Bristol’s home page.

Bristol, in keeping to its tradition as the major entertainment hub of the South West will not disappoint the 2010 Christmas reveller, providing a host of pantomimes, comedy shows, music (both modern and classical), theatre shows, carol services, special events and Christmas attractions such as Christmas at Bristol Zoo and Avon Valley Railway Santa Special. Also, the actress Barbara Windsor will be opening The Mall’s Winter Wonderland and also appearing in panto at the Hippodrome. All these attractions and more can be found on Activ Bristol’s Christmas page.

Christmas in Bristol 2010 is building up to be a fantastic shopaholic entertainment bonanza time but while we are all enjoying ourselves spare a thought for those who through illness, mental incapacity or loneliness, to name but a few reasons, will not enjoy this magical time of year. Listed on Activ Bristol’s Christmas page you will find a number of local Charities so while you are having fun, please give generously to help those less fortunate.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at Activ Bristol. Click here for more information on Activ Bristol

Business Online – International Business in the Online World

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Universal Appeal

When entrepreneurs look seriously at doing business online they view international business as the greatest goal in the online world. The personal freedom offered by the online business world isn’t foreign to anyone, anywhere.

Successful entrepreneurs don’t go into business simply for the financial gain but in order to positively impact society. The international community is continually growing smaller because the lifestyle that used to be exclusive to a few developed countries is now available everywhere.

One by One

Learning to treat your current customer as your only customer is a service mindset that can be equally applied to partners, associates, prospects and leads.

Forming a relationship with someone far away used to be difficult before the internet introduced the online business world. Today you can reach one person at a time and effectively liberate them from whatever situation they’re in with imagination and some online tools.

Putting Others First

The internet is affecting the lifestyles of thousands of people all over the world by allowing them to do business like never before. However, the quickest way to advance your business lies in your ability to provide valuable service to others.

This truth has been proven over and over by many different companies and professionals. Valuable products and services always rise to recognition.

The Final Equation

Offer someone an opportunity to improve their current condition or situation and you’ll get noticed. Deliver on that promise and you become famous to that one individual.

Fame in the online world directly affects business online especially when you belong to the international business community.

What to Consider When Deciding to Buy a Strip Mall Property

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Retail property is a special market segment when it comes to property performance. Investors and Real Estate Agents alike should respect and gain the knowledge about this property type before they embark on entering this retail property market. Retail property is complex as an investment type.

Rents are generally higher in retail property given the way the property operates, however the operating costs are also higher. The property needs to perform more intensely for tenants, customers, retailers, and the community. This intense level of property performance pushes operating costs up in things like energy, cleaning, janitorial, lighting, and amenities.

Any retail property owner that is seeking to save money on operating costs and hence tries to reduce levels of maintenance and presentation is on the fast track to failure. Tenants and customers to a retail property soon see the shortcuts that a property owner may be taking to save money. They feel that the property is just not up to scratch, and then will move their focus and trade to the other properties in the area.

This then says that the property owner in any retail property must respect and support not just the tenants in the property, but also the customers and the local community. Without this care and balance, the property will decline locally. Lower rents will be the outcome and the vacancy factor will rise.

When looking at a retail property for assessing its potential and its future, there are some critical points that should be looked at first before any further investigation occurs. Consider these:

  • Location of the property is highest on the agenda of investigation. Without a good location a retail property will fail. Given the current property location, are there any changes being considered locally that will impact property access or customer visitation. Most particularly you should look for changes to roads, highways, and the local community. Is the local community expanding or contracting and in what way?
  • Parking in a shopping centre is a key element to its success. The car park must firstly be large enough for the existing and future trade, and then it has to be easy to access. When customers access the shopping centre, they should feel good about the visit and not frustrated by getting to and from their car. In many locations, undercover car parking will be a priority in property design. Some older shopping centres where car parks are in the open should consider placing awnings in the car park to improve the customer experience.
  • Design of the property is a physical thing. It starts at the property entry points and then extends into the common areas and the tenant areas. Simply the customer wants to move through and in the property with the greatest of ease. This movement when efficiently handled will create the ‘ant track’ of customers, from which you can then design the tenancy mix and build higher points of rental. Most of the entry points and the corners in the common areas and mall of the property should be reserved for smaller tenancies of broad customer interest. This will get you better rentals and also encourage more shoppers to move around the property. A retail property must also give a modern, clean, and functional appearance. The customer wants to feel good when they visit your property. You want them to come back. Quite a simple target really but it does take continual care and attention.
  • The tenancy mix should always be matched to the needs and wants of the customer and not the rental that the landlord desires. It should be said here that the landlord when negotiating leases with tenants should not randomly give away the right to an option on the lease. Certainly tenants will ask for it in many situations, but it does restrict the landlord’s options as the years pass. In retail property investment the landlord needs to preserve the right to move tenants around, remove the poorly performing tenants from the property, and renovate the property at the right time. It is of note that in many of the larger retail properties, the landlord will not normally or easily give an option for further occupancy, for this very reason.

So there you have some of the key elements of assessment in retail property. These key elements should be assessed first before you move on into a deeper level of property analysis.