New businesses up by a third at Merthyr Tydfil Enterprise Centre

2022 marks the 7th anniversary of Merthyr Tydfil Enterprise Centre (MTEC) — a collaborative project between Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and Tydfil Training, designed to support the needs of start-ups and existing businesses in Merthyr Tydfil.

Born from the need to create a business hub in the town centre, MTEC provides a fresh approach to business support in Merthyr Tydfil — physically providing the facility for test trade, incubation and growth facilities as well as mainstream support. This is all aided by a dedicated on-site support team.

Today, the 12th of August — only 8 months into the year — MTEC has announced a huge 36% increase in the number of business support registrations received vs. 2021. In turn, this has resulted in an 20% rise in the number of actual businesses started — with 2022 on track to be MTEC’s best year on record.

Over the years, MTEC has aided more than 200 successful start-ups from a multitude of sectors — including retail, manufacturing and hospitality, thereby helping to change the face of Merthyr Tydfil town centre.

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has supported MTEC with the successful 7-year delivery of MTEC — as a pivotal partner, offering additional services such as the Meanwhile Programme, which creates opportunities for business owners to set up in vacant town centre properties.

Paul Gray, CEO of Tydfil Training said “Over the years, MTEC has worked to encourage enterprise, entrepreneurship and employment in Merthyr Tydfil – becoming a central point of contact for new and existing businesses. All aided by a dedicated onsite support team, MTEC ensures that business owners can access the right support at the right time from the right partner.

“We pride ourselves in developing not only the businesses themselves, but also the individuals at the heart of each business. We have constantly exceeded everyone’s expectations on what could be achieved — proving that the collaborative approach provides more than the sum of its parts.”

Adam Smith, owner of Niche Website Development, said “With thanks to support from MTEC and the Council, I was able to open my business in March 2019. Since then, MTEC has continued to be a fantastic resource – ensuring that I not only opened my business, but that it stayed open, for good. The team are dedicated to helping businesses of all kinds and I can’t thank them enough.”

Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Public Protection, Cllr Geraint Thomas said: “It’s fantastic to see the ongoing success of MTEC, which since inception, has led the way for business development here in Merthyr Tydfil.”

“The pandemic was a tricky time for local businesses in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and beyond – so I’m heartened to hear about MTEC’s significant rise in business registrations and start-ups for 2022. This success will no doubt help to pave the way for regeneration.”