Worthing's new town centre manager reveals vacant units are 'under offer' as new restaurants and shops provide pre-Christmas boost

Hannah Manzaroli, Worthing’s new business improvement district (BID) manager, has had something of a career change, with her background in retail and the nightlife scene.

Hannah moved, with her family, from London to Brighton – and now she wants to take Worthing to new heights.

“I worked in retail since I was 16,” Hannah said. “It’s something I’ve always loved. I did that instead of university and I worked my way up and I’m really proud of the career I had.

“I also worked in hospitality – in nightclubs and events planning. I have experience in social media and marketing, so I’m hoping to bring all those elements together in this job.

“I visited Worthing for the first time when I was viewing houses here. Myself and my husband decided to move our family away from London eight years ago. We fell in love with it.

"We loved the fairground on the seafront and the flower beds. The people were really friendly. We thought it was somewhere we’d like to move our family.

“If people live here their whole lives they can be a bit negative. I hope I can see it through fresh eyes. It’s different – a slower pace of life – but people who live here are really lucky.”

Hannah said ‘one of the amazing unique selling points’ of Worthing is the independent businesses.

"A lot of high streets in the UK are very much the same but there are a lot of independent retails in Worthing and I really love that,” Hannah said.

"I will be looking to tap into that. People are really community focused here with more events than most towns – we have a lot of different things in the pipeline.

"I’m looking forward to tapping into my experience of bringing together the daytime and night-time economies. There’s a really good opportunity there to have a collaborative approach."

Hannah is looking forward to the town’s big Christmas and late-night shopping event on Thursday, December 14 – organised by the BID.

"We’d love to see the whole of Worthing come out for that. We’ve worked hard on it,” she said.

"With the cuts to funding, we have to put in extra work to make sure it goes ahead.

"In terms of the high street and nightlife, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.

"I would really ask people to come out and shop on the high street instead of buying on Amazon. It’s another sale that can help to keep businesses open.

“It’s definitely good to get spirits up. With cost of living going on at the moment, it's nice to be able to offer people something.

"All the shops are open until 7pm on that day. We've got entertainment, a stage, various characters, a stilt walker, roller skating elves and Santa will be there too. We will be giving away freebies.

"We also do the toy soldier trail, which everyone can get involved in. It's completely free and encourages people to get out and about in Worthing.

“There's a postbox in South Street, where children can post a letter to Santa, who will respond to every single letter.”

A Christmas tree is standing proudly in Montague Street this year – surrounded by the wonderful festive display organised by Worthing Town Centre Initiative.

But the tree which normally sits out Worthing Town Hall is missing ‘due to difficult financial challenges’, according to Worthing Borough Council.

Hannah said the BID is also ‘on a budget’, adding: “We are funded by the businesses so it's really important that they are getting value for money.

"We are doing these things to bring people into Worthing to shop. It's always a challenge but we've had to look at different ways to cut costs. We do have some solar panel lights on the trees at the end of Rowlands Road.”

Despite the financial pressures, businesses have not been put off opening in Worthing.

In recent weeks, a new Mediterranean restaurant called ONYX opened in Marine Parade, whilst Efes has opened up a second Turkish restaurant in the town – this time in Portland Road.

Another food business planning to open in Worthing town centre is now on the look-out for staff. Last month, a poster appeared on the former Game shopfront in the Montague Quarter, revealing the imminent opening of a new Greek food business.

A poster with the words ‘Opening soon – Greek Street Food’ was pictured. Now, a second poster has appeared, advertising jobs at the restaurant. The notice read: “Staff wanted: counter assistant, waitress, kitchen staff. Apply within or send CV to [email protected].”

A planning application, which was earlier given the green light by Worthing Borough Council, requested the change of use from a retail unit to a restaurant.

And as the Montague Quarter becomes Worthing town centre’s foodie hub, work is continuing at Forest Row in the old Beales building. The venture ‘aims to revolutionise the dining experience’ by bringing together a ‘diverse selection of food vendors under one roof’.

Hannah said: “Worthing is really unique in that way. We’ve got something to suit every taste. Our food and drink economy is thriving.”

In the retail scene, a clothing boutique has opened in the heart of Worthing’s town centre – and is soon to be joined in the Royal Arcade by a popular travel agent – whilst a new café and shop has opened in Portland Square.

Hannah was delighted by these openings – and she hinted more could follow.

"A lot of our larger shops are under offer,” she said. “We are really trying to fill those units.”

However, some other challenges do remain.

Hannah said it would be ‘naïve not to face up to the issue’ of crime and anti-social behaviour which has been a plight in Worthing.

“There’s no denying, with an economic recession, there will unfortunately always be an upturn in crime,” she said.

"Every department can be more cost conscious. The support might not be there that it was before.

“We are looking at different ways to make Worthing a safer town. That will be a bit of a challenge for everyone.

“I’m really looking forward to a collaborative approach [with Worthing Borough Council]. We all want to make Worthing better and are working towards the same goal.”