Author: Rhys Gregory

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales has written to Adam Price MS, the newly appointed Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, calling for early action to help small firms invest, recruit and win work. Small and medium businesses are the heartbeat of our nation’s economy, accounting for 99.3% of Welsh businesses, 62.3% of private sector employment and 42.5% of turnover. This is a pivotal moment for the Welsh economy. Despite years of sustained pressure from rising costs – employment, rates and energy – FSB research shows more than half of small businesses in Wales have growth ambitions. With…

Welsh business confidence picked up in April from previous month’s recent low amid hopes of greater demand according to the latest Cymru Growth Tracker data from NatWest. Meanwhile, cost pressures gained momentum as output and new orders contracted at softer paces in April. The headline Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the area’s manufacturing and service sectors – posted 47.9 in April, up from 46.2 in March, to signal a less marked decline in output. The fall in activity was modest overall, nonetheless. The softer drop in…

Welsh-headquartered law firm Hugh James has strengthened its real estate finance offering with the appointment of David Marshall as Partner and Head of Real Estate Finance. Based in the firm’s Cardiff office, David will work closely with colleagues across the Commercial Property and Banking and Finance teams to support clients on complex lending and property transactions. David joins Hugh James with over 20 years’ experience in real estate finance, having advised a broad range of lenders including major high street banks and specialist funders on both development and investment finance transactions. David has significant expertise in all aspects of real…

Construction is set to begin on the Skyline Swansea project, as the next phase of work gets underway on Kilvey Hill and at Landore Park & Ride. Earthworks will soon start on Kilvey Hill to prepare the site for the downhill karting ‘luge’ tracks, including clearing and shaping the land, alongside the creation of Sustainable Drainage Systems to avoid discharge of stormwater to public networks, maintain and enhance water quality, and support biodiversity. At Landore Park & Ride, groundworks will begin to get the site ready for construction of the cable car system, all marking the first visible step in…

Lidl GB has confirmed plans to open a new store at the former Llanwern Steelworks site on Queens Way as part of the £1 billion Glan Llyn regeneration project in Newport. The new supermarket, which is expected to open next spring, will become Lidl’s third store in Newport and is set to create up to 40 new local jobs, with entry-level hourly pay starting at £13.45. The store will form part of the wider regeneration of the 600-acre brownfield site, helping to provide growing communities at Glan Llyn with walkable access to affordable groceries and everyday essentials. The development is…

Iceland Foods has announced it will be opening the doors to a brand-new The Food Warehouse store in Merthyr Tydfil on Tuesday 19th May, expanding its product offering and giving local residents a new, enhanced shopping experience. The store is located on Dowlais Top Retail Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, CF48 2TA, with the opening generating an estimated 20 additional jobs in the local community. To celebrate the store opening, The Food Warehouse is giving away £1,500 worth of vouchers to the first 150 customers in the queue. With an Iceland store already located on St Tydfils Square, the launch of a new The Food Warehouse store in the area means that local shoppers have even more access to market-leading deals and big-brand products. The Food Warehouse was introduced in 2014, with stores often double the size of traditional Iceland sites, offering a much larger range of goods and bigger packs for even…

A leading further education college in north Wales has secured a £7 million funding package to support the development of a landmark net zero facility and build new student accommodation. Coleg Cambria is one of the UK’s largest further education providers, offering teaching that bridges the gap between education and employment to communities across Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire. To cater to growing demand, it has invested in new facilities at its Llysfasi agricultural campus in Denbighshire, helping to enhance its offering for agricultural learners. Formed in 2013 through the merger of Deeside College and Yale College, Coleg Cambria operates across…

Rising demand for flexible higher education in Wales is outpacing funding, putting future workforce development and access to study at risk, The Open University has warned. The University says its ability to support growing numbers of students could come under increasing pressure without action from the new Welsh Government, despite a sharp increase in learners seeking flexible learning. Thousands more students across Wales are choosing to study flexibly as learners look for education options that fit around work, family life, caring responsibilities, existing careers and growing financial pressures. The shift reflects a broader change in how people access education, with…

Calon Hearts is urging people across west Wales to take up heart screening appointments this weekend that could make a lifesaving difference. Every week in the UK, at least 12 seemingly healthy young people die from undiagnosed heart conditions, often with no symptoms or warning signs. The Welsh charity has already screened more than 34,800 hearts, trained over 600,000 people in CPR and placed more than 37,000 defibrillators in communities across the UK. However, misconceptions about who should be screened remain, with many believing it is only necessary for athletes or those experiencing symptoms. Calon Hearts is working to change…

Members at Bridgend County Borough Council met on Wednesday 13 May for the Annual Meeting of Council to confirm the positions of Leader and Cabinet for the year ahead, and to elect a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Councillor John Spanswick was returned as Leader of the authority, and the following Cabinet positions were also confirmed: Deputy Leader / Cabinet Member for Social Services and Wellbeing – Councillor Jane Gebbie Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation – Councillor Hywel Williams Cabinet Member for Education and Young People – Councillor Martyn Jones Cabinet Member for Communities and Environment (Job Share) –…