The City of Hanford posted two online surveys on Friday afternoon asking Central Valley residents for the restaurants and clothing stores they want to see open in the Hanford area.
Community Relations Manager Brian Johnson, who distributed the survey, hopes to show potential retailers that strong support exists for their businesses by using the survey results. He plans to open more surveys for different types of businesses in the future, including sporting goods stores, bookstores, music stores and general merchandise.
“More than anything, they [retailers] want to make sure they’re profitable and can be sustained in the ever-evolving world of retail,” Johnson said. “One thing that we’ve heard in some conversations in people in this industry is that a survey, like the one I put on Friday, couldn’t hurt. It could only be helpful in showing some of these retailers that not only are we interested in seeing them come to town, but the community is as well.”
One of the surveys live right now focuses on new restaurants, while the other focuses on new clothing stores. Participants are asked their ZIP code, then given a list of 18 different national brands, such as Jersey Mike’s, Urban Outfitters or Krispy Kreme. Then, they are asked to rate their favorites on a short list from 1 to 5.
According to Johnson, the retailers included in the survey are included because of the brand’s sales success across the country and the company’s ability to fit in well in the City of Hanford based on techniques and input from Retail Strategies, a company that trained senior City leadership on how to attract new retailers to Hanford.
Johnson said the restaurant-focused survey had gathered over 2,000 responses Monday morning, while the survey focusing on clothing stores had seen over 1,300 responses Monday morning. Over 90 percent of participants completed the device on their smartphone.
“The response since Friday has been amazing and a much higher turnout or participation than we were expecting here at City Hall,” Johnson said.
People who live outside the City of Hanford are not only able to take the survey, but are encouraged to, according to Johnson. Johnson hopes the surveys can help Hanford capture the business of residents who live in nearby Central Valley towns.
“We wanted to keep this open to anyone,” Johnson said. “There are many people who come to shop, eat and drink here in Hanford that come from outside city limits. So they should definitely have a say as well.”
After the survey closes, Johnson plans to make a partial list of the most popular companies available to the public, he said. He added that while comments left on social media will be read by City staff, filling out the survey is the best way to make sure your voice is heard and formally counted.
The survey will remain open until July 31. Anyone can take the survey online by going to https://rb.gy/14ric.
