TestTown- Seeking creative ideas to help save the high street

by Startacus Admin

Now a little treat for the self-starter aged 16-30 looking to exercise their innovative muscles - the annual TestTown challenge is back with another round of high street enterprise opportunities available up and down the UK…here’s the low down.

The Problem

The great British high street has been on something of a low in recent years with the changing shopping habits of the public being largely blamed for the downturn of fortunes for this icon of national life - it’s a rather sorry state of affairs. One of the most pressing issues facing local authorities, and indeed the locals themselves, is the high proportion of retail premises which are now unoccupied. They create huge gaps in once prime town centre locations and further deter potential shoppers who increasingly favour the abundance of choice available online and in out of town retail complexes.

The Challenge

In a nutshell, you are being asked to come up with an innovative and enterprising business idea which could fill one of the gaps on a British high street. Unlike many comparable competitions out there the main focus of TestTown is not to make as much money as possible, but to come up with an innovative, creative and inspiring idea that has the potential to change the way in which people use their local town centres. Essentially, rather than simply moaning about the problem and hoping it goes away, young innovators are being asked to come up with proactive ideas to reinvigorate our town centres… seems like a far more sensible idea!

So who can apply ?

• An individual or groups aged 16-30, with a maximum of 4 people per team

• Those living within the UK or Republic of Ireland

• Those with years of business experience or none at all

• Those looking to sell goods, provide services, or demonstrate new products

• People with an idea for a charity or a business

The ideas will be put forward to a panel of ‘experts’ who will shortlist applicants to go forward to the final round of the competition which will see one team win £10K startup funding… as well as the sense of pride which comes from helping to reinvent the British High Street.

The competition is being run by the CarnegieUK Trust which seeks to improve the lives and wellbeing of people throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland through influencing public policy and demonstrating innovative practice.

The closing date for applications is 16th April so thinking caps at the ready!  For a spot of inspiration, or just to pass the time why not take a little gander at some of these recent retail posts!

Pop at House of Fraser- A showcase opportunity for fashion startups

The Shopify Build a business competition

Mr Quiffy- The move around popup shop

If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free...

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Published on: 21st March 2014