Author: Rhys Gregory

The search is on to find Wales’ best new businesses with the launch of the StartUp Awards National Series. Now in its second year, the series will shine a light on the flourishing startup scene across the UK which has seen more than 1.2 million new businesses created in the past two financial years alone – equal to one start-up per minute. Last year’s awards saw over 2,500 entries nationally, which were whittled down to 900 finalists that between them generated £300 million annually and employed over 5,000 people. Start-ups are the lifeblood of the economy and as such, the…

Cwmpas, formerly known as the Wales Cooperative Centre, has held its first Employee Ownership Forum. The forum has been set up to allow businesses and companies that have transitioned into employee ownership to gather and discuss how the transition into employee ownership has worked for them as founders, EOT (employee ownership trust) trustees and management. The event, sponsored by Geldards and held at their offices in Cardiff, also offered insight into those company founders who are considering EOT as part of their succession planning and gave them an insight into how it has worked for other Welsh companies. EOT as…

A leading containerised storage company is to open a new self-storage park in Porthmadog as it continues to expand across North Wales. The Lock Stock Self Storage site will be on the Penamser Trading Estate on land next to the town’s Lidl store. The one-acre site will be Denbigh-based Lock Stock’s 26th storage park across North Wales and the borders and will have capacity for over 160 20-foot-long containers. It will be their third storage park in Gwynedd, joining sites in Bangor and Caernarfon, and will be the first in the south of the county. The new storage units, in…

Business confidence in Wales rose 12 points during November to 17%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking – conducted between 1st-15th November, before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement announcement on Thursday the 17th November. Companies in the country reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 24 points at 36%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down one point to -3%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 17%. Welsh businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in their team (35%), evolving their offering (29%), and investing in sustainability (28%). The Business Barometer, which questions 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends…

Prisoners are helping to build a green housing development that’s insulating tenants against soaring heating bills and helping to save the planet at the same time. A factory unit has been set up at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham where 25 inmates are making wooden panels for the 63 timber-framed homes for ClwydAlyn housing association at the Glasdir housing estate in Ruthin. Tenants have already moved into 35 of the properties which are a mix of flats, houses and bungalows, with between one and four bedrooms. All of them are packed with money saving, eco-friendly features, including solar panels coupled with…

A fantastic and record-breaking few days have been enjoyed by thousands at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, held at the showground in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. First staged in 1990 and originally just a modest one-day event, the Royal Welsh Winter Fair has become one of the most popular attractions in the British agricultural calendar.  The annual event continues to maintain its position as one of the finest primestock shows in the UK, this year attracting over 700 exhibitors from Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Holland. The 2022 Winter Fair was officially opened by Mr Dafydd Wynne Finch on Monday…

World Mobile has successfully completed its low earth orbit (LEO) satellites pilot test in the UK to provide efficient and affordable internet connectivity to Pencarnan Farm, a remote caravan site in Wales. The company, which was founded in 2018, aims to provide affordable connectivity to rural and remote areas worldwide. In the UK, over half a million people claim to have no fixed-line connectivity where they live, and another 1.58 million say their connectivity is poor or very poor. This has a major impact on people’s lives. World Mobile’s study found that 25% of people in the UK who cannot…

Leading dessert restaurant brand, Creams, has appointed Everett Fieldgate as its new CEO, ahead of the company entering its next stage of growth internationally and in the UK. Othman Shoukat will continue in his role as Managing Director until the end of the year for a smooth transition before stepping down from the day-to-day running of the business. He will remain on the board of directors to support the senior team’s growth and brand development plans. With over 17 years spent working exclusively in the food and hospitality industries, Everett brings a wealth of relevant experience to Creams across casual…

Improving support for survivors of human trafficking and slavery will be the focus of a new project at Aberystwyth University. ‘Reporting Experiences of Survivors to Analyse in Real Time’ (RESTART) will use an app to gather information from survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery in the UK on their experiences of the support services that they receive, and collect their opinions on what could be done better to help them. Migration law and human trafficking expert Professor Ryszard Piotrowicz, from the Department of Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University, will be responsible for developing guidelines to ensure that all legal…

Site investigation works are underway at Kilvey Hill as plans for a major new outdoor leisure destination gather pace. The works are another step forward for a development led by New Zealand-based Skyline Enterprises that’s proposed to include a cable car and chair lift system, luge runs, a sky swing, walking trails, a zipline, and food and drink offerings. The proposed cable car system would run to the top of Kilvey Hill from the area of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks, so some spaces at the Landore park and ride facility will be closed-off while site investigation works also take place…