CityD has been active in the city of Aarschot since 2019 and is still active as city centre manager today. In the past, the city of Aarschot has realized a number of achievements with varying degrees of success, following a previous strategic-commercial plan from 1997. CityD updated this plan in 2014. We then also completed a process with the entrepreneurs of Aarschot to see how they too could adapt to a customized organizational model. This resulted in 'Aarschot Parelt vzw'. Since April 2019, CityD has also been carrying out centre management in the city of Aarschot and this has led, among other things, to an intensification of cooperation with urban services, 'Aarschot Parelt vzw' and MiA (urban advisory council for local economy).

Achievements over the years

There have been many realizations by CityD. Not only with respect to the commercial core, but also in collaboration with the catering and hotel industry, cultural sector and event organizations. Including the website winkelsinaarschot.be, various promotional campaigns with local and regional appeal, introduction of newsletters, increasing number of members for the traders' association and participants in the promotions, sparring partner for the local government on important or ad hoc issues, introduction of the BID structure in the fight against vacancy, etc.

The centre management itself has also been further professionalized and expanded. Various successful initiatives and actions have been organized, such as 'Schot in je zaak' with the aim of making properties more rentable and attracting starting entrepreneurs and 'Win je zaak' A to Z (Win your business). WIN JE ZAAK is part of SCHOT IN JE ZAAK, the campaign by the city of Aarschot to stimulate entrepreneurship and tackle vacancy. And with success! No fewer than 107 participants registered for a chance to win the main prize worth 20,000 euros! That is an unprecedentedly high number of candidate starters.