Author: Rhys Gregory

FI Real Estate Management (FIREM) has signed a new 5,665 sq ft ten-year lease with engineering company, Rotamec at Springvale Industrial Estate, which will create a raft of new jobs. The firm will occupy unit 35 at the Cwmbran estate following a £200k refurbishment which saw FIREM install a new roof and fencing, LED lighting and brand new kitchen and office facilities. The new space is five times larger than Rotamec’s current premises in Pontypool and will see the electromechanical services specialist employ additional sales and engineering staff over the coming months. FIREM’s industrial portfolio in South Wales also includes…

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co is pleased to announce the sale of Bargain Booze in Chepstow, Wales. Funding for the buyer’s purchase was secured by Christie Finance. Located within a busy residential estate, Bargain Booze is a well-run and established local convenience store. The business has been owned and operated by the Pitt family for the last 15 years and came to the market to allow the couple to retire. The convenience store has been purchased by Mr. Pradeep Thangaraj, who plans to operate the business alongside his family. The family are experienced retail operators who currently run…

The golden moment has arrived where the National Fish and Chip Awards serves up the announcement of the UK’s Top 40 entries for the Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year category. This year’s nomination process saw fish and chip businesses from across the UK entering the awards, with the sole aim of scooping the coveted crown to be named Britain’s best. The judging panel – made up of the industry’s ‘a-fish-onados’ – put hopeful entrants through an extensive judging process, testing them against industry best practice on environmental issues, product knowledge and their responsibilities as an employer, and more.…

A mum from Port Talbot has been given the all-clear from cancer after becoming the first person in Wales to be prescribed a new wonder drug. The drug, dostarlimab, targets a specific variant of colorectal cancer. While it is still being clinically trialled, it is already showing remarkable results – avoiding the need for surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Carrie Downey was diagnosed a year ago and given dostarlimab infusions for six months. Tests have shown there is no longer any evidence of the disease. Meanwhile, Janet Baker, a Pembrokeshire grandmother who was the third in Wales to receive the drug,…

Welsh food and drink companies are set to make a flavoursome impression at Anuga 2023, the world’s leading trade fair for food and drink, as they showcase their products to buyers and look to secure new export deals. Anuga 2023, which takes places from 7-11 October 2023 in Cologne, Germany, is set to host more than 7,400 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, making it the ideal platform for Welsh companies to expand their global reach and introduce the world to the exceptional quality of food and drink that Wales has to offer. Supported by the Welsh Government, the participating…

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 48.4 in September, down from 50.5 in August, to signal a renewed and marginal decline in business activity at Welsh firms. The pace of contraction was the fastest since June, but broadly in line with the average seen across the UK as a whole. Anecdotal evidence suggested that lower output was due to weak client demand and a faster reduction in new orders. Private sector firms in Wales registered a…

Corey Fenton who was caught with drugs, £1k cash and a machete has been jailed. The 21-year-old was arrested by plain-clothed officers in Heol Trelai, Ely, Cardiff, on the evening of Wednesday, September 13.Officers from the Organised Crime Team observed Fenton take part in several exchanges while riding an e-bike around the area. He was detained and found to have numerous wraps of crack cocaine and heroin, a knife and more than £1,000 cash. Fenton, from Caerau, was arrested and during interview answered ‘no comment’ to all questions. But he pleaded guilty at his first court appearance and on Friday,…

The redevelopment of Porthcawl’s much-loved theatre, the Grand Pavilion is moving a step closer, with residents invited to have a final say on the proposed plans before they are submitted to the local authority for formal planning. Bridgend County Borough Council and its partners at Awen Cultural Trust were awarded £18m Levelling Up Funding from the UK Government, following a successful application by the council working in close partnership with Awen Cultural Trust. The redevelopment of the Grand Pavilion represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to safeguard this iconic building for many years to come and ensure it retains its position as…

A new mural inspired by Cardiff’s musical heritage and designed by Unify Creative, the artists behind the ‘Butetown Mona Lisa,’ has appeared in a Cardiff city centre underpass that runs beneath Boulevard de Nantes, connecting Kingsway with the Civic Centre. A second mural by Wall-Op Murals, inspired by the city’s history and the works of William Burges at Cardiff Castle, has been installed in the former Glamorganshire Canal Tunnel that runs underneath Kingsway. The murals have been commissioned by Cardiff Community Safety Partnership, made up of Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and other key statutory…

Santa will return to Swansea this year for his traditional parade that heralds the start of the festive season. The FREE city centre procession, organised by Swansea Council, will take place on Sunday 19 November – five weeks before the big day itself. The parade will set off from Victoria Road at around 5pm before making its way through the city centre to The Kingsway. Santa will be performing the city centre Christmas lights switch-on; one from Castle Square and another from outside the Dragon Hotel on the Kingsway. Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “Christmas is one of the most important…