Swansea BID: The demise of the brown tray

By Andrew Douglas – BID Manager, Swansea

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Let’s go back in time, back to the early 1980s. Leg warmers, snoods and pixie boots were all the vogue, all of which were deemed to be ‘ruddy silly’ by my Nan.

Nan loved a bit of shopping, but she truly loved a cup of tea. I swear we could be visiting the Arctic and she would find somewhere to have a cup of tea.

She also used to love to eat anywhere where you slid a brown wood-effect tray up to a till along some aluminium rails.

Littlewoods was a particular favourite (now Primark). Nan used to love to do a bit of shopping and then have some lunch and, of course, tea. It was a day out.

Forty years later, things have changed. For instance, restaurants with sliding brown trays are few and far between. Food has moved on; Nan, if she were still here, would go spare.

City centres are changing. Retail is still an important draw, but it isn’t the only draw these days. Back in Nan’s day, the city centre was about shopping, and the food and beverage (F&B) businesses were there to provide support for the hungry or thirsty shopper. That’s not the case anymore.

Swansea reached an important milestone in January 2026. We recorded the 200th business opening in Swansea city centre since that younger (and in those days, I had hair too!) me started collecting the data in January 2020.

That alone is worth celebrating. They’re good numbers, especially when you consider that during that period there was the small matter of a global pandemic.

The data has also thrown up something else that is very interesting. The makeup of those businesses perfectly highlights how town and city centres are evolving.

48% per cent of those businesses were food and drink-led. Retail makes up around 30% of openings, with the remaining 22% made up of offices and entertainment venues.

Retail is still a draw for a city centre, as is the nightlife, but F&B has stepped up and is no longer an industry feeding the customers of others; they are drawing their own customers in.

People now come to town (we’ve been a city since 1969, yet the city centre is still called town) to eat and shop just as much as they come to shop and eat.

Swansea’s F&B offering is truly amazing. You can literally do a tour of the world’s cuisines.

Nearly every continent is represented (excluding Antarctica, although we have several ice cream and frozen yoghurt vendors).

Independent-owned establishments offer Welsh, Greek, French, Ethiopian, Turkish, Spanish, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, American, Italian, Brazilian, Mexican, South African, Asian, Middle Eastern and British food, to name but a few.

These sit alongside the chains. Wingstop, Nando’s, Wagamama, Slim Chickens, Taco Bell and Popeyes.

There’s more coming too. Swansea BID is actively tracking and working with at least 10 new businesses looking to open in the next six months. The future is bright for Swansea city centre and the city itself as a food destination.

I’m not sure my waistline is going to survive. If Nan were still here, I’d be targeted with one of her withering stares and told to stop eating out. I’d tell her, “It’s for work, Nan! I must support the businesses in the area,” and then I’d be called a “lying hound!”

Miss you, Nan.