Welsh independents are thriving in the nation’s capital with St David’s Dewi Sant home to eight home-grown retailers – and more to come.
Proudly rubbing shoulders with the retail giants such as John Lewis, Apple, Zara and Hugo Boss at St David’s are a selection of eight hand-picked Welsh independents, each with their own entrepreneurial story.
The line-up of independents at St David’s includes self-love beauty brand Mallows Beauty, ‘Instagram-able location’ The Content Hub, bakehouse Get Caked, patisserie and confectioner Sheffs, handmade jewellery and clothing store Simply Grace, brewery trio Cold Black Label, café bar KIN+ILK and food outlet The Bagel Place. Together with the designer brands and high street stores, they create a retail mix which is unique both to St David’s and to Wales.
St David’s has now announced that its independents are so popular with shoppers, it is in talks with 12 more independent Welsh retailers with a view to opening this year.
James Waugh, Centre Director at St David’s Dewi Sant, said: “Retail is a dynamic industry and with a fast-changing retail landscape, St David’s is always looking to diversify the offering within the centre with an eclectic mix of designer brands, high street stores and independents.
“What’s fantastic about Wales is its innovative and inspiring culture of entrepreneurship which can really be seen in the new, up-and-coming independent businesses. We are excited about helping to nurture these new local businesses at St David’s, giving them the chance to showcase their brands while offering shoppers something new and unique to Wales.”
An introduction to the independents at St David’s:
- Mallows Beauty: A self-love beauty brand created by 29-year-old Laura Mallows in her front room in Cowbridge. Within 15 months, she opened her first store at St David’s where she used to work as a teenager and dreamed of having her own shop one day.
- The Content Hub: Cardiff’s first immersive events space, a haven for trendy creatives looking to snap selfies. Its ‘Instagram-able’ installations include a bath tub and a giant ball pit.
- Get Caked: Founder Chloe Davies, 24, started baking as a hobby in her mum’s kitchen in Swansea but soon had queues down the street for her cakes. Now she employs 30 staff, has a bakery unit in Fforest Fach and a bake box outlet on The Hayes at St David’s.
- Sheffs: A partnership between producers Cymru Confectionery and Shelley’s Shortbread who first met at a street food event. The luxury patisserie and confectionary store sells a scrumptious mix of chocolates, fudge, shortbread, Welsh cakes, pastries and gifts.
- Simply Grace: The family-run business sells a stunning range of locally handmade jewellery, ladies and children’s clothing from Fairtrade sources and paintings.
- Cold Black Label: Home to a trio of Welsh breweries with an official partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union, the store provides an enormous range of beers from the traditional to the contemporary.
- KIN+ILK: The Welsh born café bar is a firm favourite with Cardiffians and visitors selling sustainable, speciality coffee and fresh, locally-sourced food.
- The Bagel Place: Baking fresh bagels daily with an authentic, traditional method made from scratch within the store and served with tasty fillings alongside quality barista coffee and range of pizzas.
