Non-repayable contributions for traders and owners of premises to be used for redevelopment interventions, from replacing fixtures to renovating external dehors.
This is what is foreseen in the Business Notice aimed at traders in the urban concentric area of Asti, which expires at midnight on 30 June.
Shops and premises (specifically direct retail sales of goods and administration activities, including new businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs) located within the perimeter of the “Contrade dei Mercanti” Urban Commerce District can access the contributions. In essence, those located in the concentric area of Asti (identified by the perimeter of the so-called Area A1, which goes from Piazza I Maggio to Corso Matteotti and from Piazza Campo del Palio to Viale Partigiani).
The announcement
The benefits are made available by the Piedmont Region, but the definition of the tender involved the Municipality and the trade associations forming part of the Confcommercio and Confesercenti governance, aimed at supporting activities in the execution of interventions aimed at relaunching, modernising, innovation and the digitalisation of activities.
Numerous eligible works are available: from those aimed at ecological improvement (replacement or integration of fixtures that guarantee better energy performance or sun protection systems, such as screening and shading) to the replacement or new installation of signs, from painting the facade pertaining to the activities relating to the external lighting of the shop, from the renovation or installation of dehors to the purchase of heating mushrooms or external furnishing accessories.
The list also includes interventions aimed at eliminating architectural barriers, external video surveillance systems, the digitalisation of bookings, the creation of advertising material, the creation of e-commerce sites or apps for promoting the business, the sale or home delivery.
The resources
The available budget amounts to 250 thousand euros, approximately 80% of the 375 thousand euros made available by the Region: the remaining part of the fund will be divided between the valorisation of historical activities and training and communication interventions.
The contribution is granted until the fund is exhausted in the form of a non-repayable contribution, in an amount equal to a maximum of 50% of the expenditure incurred and actually eligible, net of VAT and other taxes and duties. The minimum eligible investment must have a minimum expenditure level of 2 thousand euros (net of VAT and other taxes and duties). The maximum contribution is set at 5 thousand euros.
«The announcement – comments Claudio Bruno, provincial director of Confcommercio Asti and manager of the “Contrade dei Mercanti” district – is the concrete act that will allow contributions to be made to traders quickly. The ranking will be defined by July, after which the beneficiaries will have to complete the interventions by October, a feasible timing considering that these are not long interventions, with payment of the expenses eligible for funding by the end of the year. This is a first step which we will try to follow up with new tools in favor of trade: we are in fact already looking for new tenders to bring further resources to other activities, also extending the destination area if possible.”
For information: www.comune.asti.it, [email protected]. It should be remembered that at Confcommercio there is a free consultancy desk available to all traders for correct participation in the tender.
