A North East company that won backing from the Dragons’ Den has signed an agreement that will help extends its work in the region.
Newcastle-based ParkingPerx aims to rejuvenate the 海角视频 high street by offering people free parking in exchange for spending with participating businesses in the local area.
Founder Chris Reed pitched his idea on the BBC show Dragons’ Den in 2019, winning an £80,000 investment from business expert Jenny Campbell.
Now the company has signed an agreement with the RingGo app, the 海角视频’s leading cashless parking provider, which will extend the places people using its service can park for free.
Mr Reed said: “I designed ParkingPerx to help reinvigorate the high street. The cost of parking is one of the main barriers to high street trade and so ParkingPerx solves this challenge by linking spending on the high street to free parking.
“The collaboration with RingGo makes this even easier. You don’t have to remember coupons or sign up for another website, it is a simple process to use the ParkingPerx rewards you have earned to pay for your parking via the RingGo App.
“We’ve always encouraged a collaborative approach from all key stakeholders in a city centre such as local authorities, BIDs and merchants to give the high street the best chance of survival, and we’re so pleased that RingGo are now a key part of this too.”
ParkingPerx is being trialled in Sunderland. The partnership with RingGo means that motorists can earn ‘Perx’ by spending in participating businesses - including shops, cinemas, salons, cafes and restaurants - and then use the rewards to pay for parking via the RingGo app that same day, or save them for a later date.
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Peter O’Driscoll, managing director at RingGo, said: “At RingGo, we care deeply about keeping high streets vibrant and busy, especially after a year that has hit many of them hard. Our work with local councils is reinforcing the wider desire to reinvigorate local business, so working with ParkingPerx gives us another avenue to help.
“Together we are helping people clearly see a way back to something that feels normal – visiting the local high street. Through a connected and convenient digital solution, you can park, shop, eat and enjoy and support your local shops, cafes and restaurants, all while being rewarded for it.”
Sharon Appleby, chief executive at Sunderland BID, said: “Having worked with Chris from the very beginning of his ParkingPerx journey, it’s absolutely fantastic to see it expanding within the first six months of launch to include even more parking locations in Sunderland.
“We need to make it as easy as possible for people to enjoy our city centre, and this is another step in the right direction.”