Author: Rhys Gregory

Cost pressures, falling revenues and a growing reliance on debt to prop up cashflows are among the gloomy findings of the latest Small Business Index (SBI) from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The quarterly temperature-taking survey reveals the greatest level of pessimism among small business owners outside of lockdowns, with a net confidence score of -35.9 in Q3 2022, down 11.2 points compared to the previous quarter. Almost half (43%) reported falling revenues over the three months to October, compared to less than a third (32%) reporting an increase. Over the coming three months, four in ten (41%) expect…

Electric vehicle subscription business Voltric has opened offices in Newport ahead of a seed fundraise. Established by chief executive Julian Mensah and co-founder Brent Oldfield in Bristol in 2019, Voltric has already secured significant pre-seed investment from a syndicate of eight business angels led by lead investor Eamon Tuhami. This was matched with investment from the Wales Angel Co-Investment Fund, alongside further investment from other private investors. Now based at Tramshed Tech in Newport, Voltric took part in FinTech Wales’ inaugural Foundry – the no equity accelerator programme that provides mentorship and support to help incubate, accelerate and scale start-up…

Cardiff-based health and wellbeing provider ION Corporate Wellness has launched a range of services aimed at helping businesses create a healthier and happier workforce. Founded and managed by former Wales and Cardiff Rugby player Robin Sowden-Taylor, ION Corporate Wellness provides businesses with flexible and tailored health and wellbeing solutions to support their employees both physically and mentally. “In professional rugby, the understanding and value placed on the physical and mental preparation for the players are the foundations for performance. This should be no different in our own day to day lives as without good physical and mental health we will…

Plans have been approved for a new development of 109 affordable homes at Sanatorium Road in Cardiff. Not-for-profit housing organisation United Welsh has been granted approval to build a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, alongside apartments for older people with communal lounges and a roof terrace. 74 of the homes will be delivered in phase one, with the remaining 35 being delivered in phase two. The affordable homes will be built by Celtic Offsite, a social enterprise within the United Welsh Group. Celtic Offsite will manufacture the timber frame structures for the homes from its factory in Caerphilly.…

A north Wales bakery is looking to expand its business by adding health-boosting mushroom powder to make more nutritious cakes, thanks to support from Aberystwyth University researchers. Llanrwst-based bakers Siwgr a Sbeis have worked with Beddgelert based mushroom growers, Madarch Cymru, to add the powder to their flapjacks. The two companies joined the Future Foods programme, led by Aberystwyth University, to modify the flapjack recipe to reduce the use of sugars and make them healthier. The mushrooms grown in Llanerfyl in Powys and in Gwynedd are a good source of vitamin D: vital for keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy,…

A leading construction company is in the running for an award for helping to inspire a new generation to join the industry. Brenig Construction, which has sites across North Wales and the North West, has been shortlisted for a Careers Wales Valued Partner Awards 2022 in the ’Best Newcomer Award category. The winners will be announced at a glittering occasion in Cardiff hosted by hosted by DJ and presenter, Huw Stephens on November 8. The fast-growing Mochdre-based company has built a track record of working with local schools and communities where it has active sites and of taking on and…

14 men involved in large-scale drugs network have been jailed a total of more than 140 years, following an investigation by Tarian, the southern Wales Regional Organised Crime Unit. Detectives were provided with packages of Encrochat (a private messaging system) data from the National Crime Agency. From the data, officers were able to identify who the anonymous users were and have used their own chat in evidence against them. The Organised Crime Group (OCG) was predominantly based in south Wales but with close connections with Liverpool from where the drugs were primarily sourced. Its members, using encrypted devices, organised the…

Online hospitality training provider The National Hospitality Academy is to offer its training courses internationally as part of a new partnership. The National Hospitality Academy has joined forces with UAE-based training provider Save Fast, which provides training across the Middle East and Africa, to make its hospitality training available to Save Fast’s clients. The National Hospitality Academy will provide Save Fast with 70 e-learning courses covering everything from food hygiene to GDPR, and from cellar training to customer service. All the training and the exams can be completed online. The courses are available through a subscription model which gives employers…

Persimmon Homes East Wales has secured planning permission for the construction of 121 new homes on land off Elm Tree Grove in Twynyrodyn, Merthyr Tydfil. Approval was given for the site at a meeting of Merthyr Tydfil Council’s planning committee yesterday evening (Wednesday 19th), and will include a mix of homes from one to five-bedroom detached, semi-detached and terraced properties. The scheme will also deliver a new access road with a junction, and an area of open green space in the northern part of the site which will include climbing boulders, balancing logs and grassed mounds. In the southern part…

The popular ‘Night Market’ at Cardiff’s historic indoor market will return for a one-off Friday-night event, complete with live music and an eclectic range of independent traders. Part of ‘City of Arcades’ week, which will see more than thirty-five events taking place across Cardiff’s seven iconic Victorian and Edwardian arcades, the event from 6pm-9pm on November 4th will be the first ‘Night Market’ to take place on a Friday night. Louise Thomas, the market manager, said: “It’s exciting opening up on a Friday night for the first time. With the music, all the amazing food stalls and the quirky retailers we’ve…