Newport has some fantastic small traders encompassing retail, hospitality and leisure and they make up more than two thirds of the city centre outlets.
More events are also being held which draw in visitors who can discover for themselves the diverse offer including great food places, lively music places and bespoke retailers.
Councillor James Clarke, Newport City Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and democratic services, said: “Despite recent negative reports, there is a lot of good news to shout about.
“Of the 508 stores in the city centre, only 80 are part of a chain (15.75 per cent) and a massive 327 are independent.
“We have some fantastic, unique businesses in our city centre but they need support and positivity, not the kind of negativity that we have been seeing which only harms our traders, the city and residents.
“We work closely with Newport BID, Friars Walk and Kingsway to offer support to businesses but we cannot control the failures of national chains. Recent high-profile closures have not just happened in our city centre.
“The council offers practical and financial assistance to small businesses, including a rate relief scheme which ‘tops up’ the Welsh government’s scheme for retail, hospitality and leisure outlets, as well as grants.
“Work is ongoing behind the scenes with our partners to address the number of empty retail units, that is now under 20 per cent. Like many city and town centres across the UK, Newport is moving away from a heavy reliance on big names and big stores but change won’t occur overnight.
“It’s been great to see some new businesses moving in and established businesses showing their commitment to the city centre such as Hays Travel which has reopened following a refurbishment of its Llanarth Street branch.
“The placemaking plan will contain some key projects for the city centre and the details will be revealed in the near future. So watch this space.
“We also work with the police and Newport BID, to ensure the city centre is safe. All areas experience issues but recent crackdowns on crime and antisocial behaviour have seen results.”
Councillor Emma Corten, cabinet member for culture and communications, said: “There is a lot going on in the city centre, if people look beyond the empty shops. We have a vibrant music scene in independent venues and a cultural offer that includes theatres, the museum and art gallery.
“We are continuing to support fantastic events that bring thousands of people into the city centre including this month’s Music Trail and Festival of Words and the Food Festival in the autumn. With the support of partners, we hope that will continue.”
Footfall increased by 3.8 per cent in January, compared with the same period last year, against the trend in Wales (a 3 per cent drop) and the UK (-0.3 per cent).
In February, the rise was even greater – a 5.4 per cent rise compared with a smaller increase in Wales of 2.9 per cent and a drop of 1.9 per cent in the UK.
