Bury Free Press BID Column February 2026
Now that winter has almost gone it’s an opportunity to look forward to spring and summer with both the BID and our businesses developing their plans for the next few months.
Invariably, early in the New Year, we see some businesses struggling and it is looking like our branch of Claire’s, in the Buttermarket, may be closing soon. It is always frustrating when national brands cease trading, as invariably our local branch will have been trading well. There is always a chance that a buyer will be found for the more profitable outlets so hopefully ours will continue trading. This news is a reminder that even though our town centre is thriving, compared with many others, the pressure on businesses, predominantly due to the increasing operational costs imposed by the Government, in the last two budgets, is ever present and demonstrates that Bury St Edmunds is not immune from these pressures.
It’s also disappointing to hear that Luna House Boutique in The Buttermarket, which opened in 2021, will be closing at the end of next month. However, I’m pleased that the business will continue to trade from their other shop, 3 Cats Vintage in St John’s Street.
On the flip side, we had some fantastic news recently regarding the increase in spending by tourists who, during 2023 and 2024, brought a further £4.6m into our local economy. Since we created the Bury St Edmunds and Beyond brand in 2017, which is how we promote and market the town to tourists through digital marketing, we have seen the value of the tourism pound rise by 8.7m in total. In 2024 the total value of tourism to the local economy is now estimated to be £55.9m.
The importance of the value of tourism spend cannot be underestimated as it supplements the income for our businesses, allowing our town centre offering to continue to grow, which provides benefits for the residents in our local community too.
As our town centre offering continues to develop, new businesses look to open here and I am delighted to see that an independent trader, Toast Coffee, is looking to open in the former Sneezums unit in the Cornhill, in the spring.
We are fortunate to have relatively few empty units in the town centre, with the latest audit by West Suffolk Council, showing a vacancy rate of just 5.2%.
The town boasts an exceptional hospitality scene and proudly upholds its reputation as the Foodie Capital of Suffolk. Everyone at the BID was thrilled to see that Pea Porridge has retained its Michelin Star, first awarded in 2021.
I was also delighted to see recent figures show that over £215,000 has now been spent with the Bury St Edmunds Gift Card since its launch in October 2020 – keeping spend local. This is money that, likely, the majority would have been spent with online retailers and our town centre businesses would have missed out on this. I know that they are grateful for this support from both the public and local employers. So, if you are stuck for a present for Mother’s Day, this would make a great gift and is accepted in 80+ businesses in the town centre including eateries, leisure and retail.
