BusinessIn Wales

Construction, Construction Special

How Swansea’s regeneration is building more than just new homes

How Swansea’s regeneration is building more than just new homes How Swansea’s regeneration is building more than just new homes Andrew Douglas – BID Manager, Swansea Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.  This month’s theme is construction. I have to admit, my first thought when I was told this was, “Great, what do I know about construction?” Sure, I could share some amusing anecdotes about my time working in the industry as a materials technician in North Wales about 20 years ago (including one about me in a radioactive van), but that’s about it. So, I poured myself a coffee, leaned back in my chair and started to rack my brain for a suitable thread I could pull to eke out an article. It was then that the fly-through on the Invest in Swansea website caught my eye as it displayed on our office screen, and an idea was born. Swansea is going through major regeneration. Billions are flowing into the city from the City Deal, the council and private investors. If you head to investswansea.com, you can see the fly-through and the amount of work still to come, as well as what’s already been done. Regeneration isn’t all about fancy new arenas and tourist facilities; it’s also about homes. There are over a thousand new homes currently being built around the city, whether new builds or repurposing existing buildings in the city centre. In total, that’s creating thousands of jobs across all aspects of the construction trade, and a lot of our local trades are benefiting from that work. Last week, the Swansea.com Stadium hosted the Welsh Construction Show. I wasn’t able to attend this year, but by all accounts, it was buzzing. There were over 50 exhibitors, and hundreds came through the doors. The importance of the construction industry to the local economy is summed up by that list of exhibitors. There were representatives from industries such as finance, training, legal, motoring, communications, IT, hotels and logistics, all alongside the exhibitors you’d expect at a construction show — Sell2Wales, building suppliers, health and safety consultants and contractors themselves. As business owners, we all know that these shows can be a commitment of resources — the staff on the day, the cost of the freebies and roller banners, along with the cost of the stand in the first place. It’s a testament to the event that a lot of companies have stands year after year, which means they are getting a decent ROI. This event alone shows the strength and importance of the industry in the city. When we see the major projects going on, it’s easy to forget the smaller contributions that the construction industry makes to the city. A house extension here, a rewire there — all these smaller jobs (although to those having their house rewired, it isn’t a small job) add to the economy. The majority of the firms doing these jobs can pivot very quickly from a small house extension to building 30 homes. All they need are skilled people — and with the right people, companies can go far. Over the last few years, for example, I have watched a friend’s company grow from him and two boys in a van to eight vans, 25 sparkies and an office team to manage it all. The vast majority of his work is in Swansea. That’s seven vans bought locally, 25 extra wages heading into our local shops, and all the kit he needs for his jobs is bought from local suppliers. So whilst he may be working on larger national contracts, the financial benefits are seen locally. It can be said that the positive effects of a regeneration project begin long before the doors open — thanks to the construction industry. Anyway, back to me in this radioactive van driving through the centre of London… Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials Linkedin X Instagram TikTok Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast YouTube Spotify No Posts Found!

Charities Special

One of the first lessons I learnt about charity was: “Don’t ask for jam jars!”

One of the first lessons I learnt about charity was: “Don’t ask for jam jars!” One of the first lessons I learnt about charity was: “Don’t ask for jam jars!” Andrew Douglas – BID Manager, Swansea Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.  I spent my happy hours as a child and teenager working with my dad, helping run summer fetes, car boot sales, jumble sales (do they still exist?) and various other events. Dad was a member of the Association of Friends, an organisation that did everything it could to raise funds for the National Children’s Homes (now NCH Action for Children), which operated Killay House Children’s Home and later a respite care unit in Killay. Someone had the bright idea of making jam to sell at one of the events, but we were short of jars. So an appeal was placed in the local paper (it was the 80s) asking for help. Thousands upon thousands of jam jars flooded in — we only needed about 50. Apart from spending time with my dad, which was great, I learnt loads. I had my first experience of dealing with customer complaints. I learnt cash handling, event management, and, without knowing it, began picking up customer service skills. Looking back, it was where this shy kid first started to develop a love of dealing with people. Dad did loads for NCH (and still does under the moniker of The Gower Woodturner — look him up, he’s really good), and I grew up thinking volunteering for a charity was something that everyone did. I’ve done my fair share of charity work over the years. I’ve had my legs waxed so many times I’ve lost count. I’ve shaved my head (the irony isn’t lost on me). I’ve cycled miles, dressed up as an Oompa Loompa, and, most recently, given my time on a Wednesday and Sunday morning to host a radio show (award-winning, I should point out) on hospital radio. Every time I’ve done something, I’ve learnt something — and that’s the key point. Charity work is a chance to try something new, learn a new skill and, if all goes to plan, bring that skill back into your business and drive it forward. For example, radio presenting is all about timing, a skill I now use when I do my weekly update videos. Charity staff and volunteers have a whole raft of skills that can be useful for businesses. Swansea BID is a small team — there are two of us — so in recent years we’ve partnered with the Welsh Air Ambulance for the Castle in the Sky project. Without their team of experienced event organisers and sponsorship managers, we’d never have got the event off the ground (did I mention there are just two of us?). Castle in the Sky was hugely successful, and both BID and WAA gained something. They raised tens of thousands of pounds, and we backed a project that generated footfall and art in our city. A partnership between business and charity needs to be more than just, “This is the charity we’re supporting this year.” There’s so much to be learnt from working together. Charities bring expertise your company may not have — event management, training and specialist knowledge, for example. A good example is Swansea BID’s work with the local branch of the National Autistic Society. They provided us with autism awareness courses for businesses in the BID area, and in return we helped them secure new computer equipment via our contacts in the business world. So, when your business is choosing the charity it will support next year, put some thought into what you can learn from them and what they can learn from you. Of course, it has to be a cause close to your heart, but a charity partnership can be so much more than a donation. Oh, and by the way — if anyone out there still needs jam jars, I’m pretty sure there are some left somewhere. Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials Linkedin X Instagram TikTok Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast YouTube Spotify Uncategorised Golley Slater becomes employee-owned after nearly 70 years in business Uncategorised Court orders closure of Lampeter hotel’s bar and cellar after cockroach infestation Food & Drink, Uncategorised Robertson Geo targets new international markets after global growth surge Sustainability & Environment, Technology & Innovation, Uncategorised Template Uncategorised

HR & Culture, Skills & Training

It’s not all about the big gigs

It’s not all about the big gigs It’s not all about the big gigs Andrew Douglas – BID Manager, Swansea Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.  We all remember our first proper gig. Mine was September 1994, when ‘The Outcast Band’ played the Worcester Student Union, known as “The Dive”. Up until then, my exposure to music gigs had been the cover bands or singers with backing tracks at my local pub. I was hooked. I woke up the next morning wearing the Tour T-shirt, clutching the CD “The Devils Road” (I still have it) with no memory of buying them and, of course, a raging hangover. Since then, I’ve been to numerous gigs and have seen outstanding performances (the memory of Roxette’s Crash, Boom, Bang Tour in Birmingham NEC still gives me goosebumps), and I love listening to live music. But I’m not the fit, slightly feral, enthusiastic, and some would say, devastatingly attractive, young man that I once was. Large gigs in the park or Principality Stadium are great, but after a bit, I just want to sit down and listen. Then the muttering starts, “Excuse me, do you have to stand so close?” alongside “I came to listen to the band sing, not you”, and various other phrases that seem perfectly common in my new life mode as a smiling, grumpy old man. But I do still love live grass roots music, so it’s lucky I live in Swansea. Swansea has a thriving music scene; we are one of the very few cities in the country where an aspiring artist can play a couple of open mic nights to learn their craft, then get support gigs with other bands, before landing their own 50 -150 capacity gigs in music venues such as Hippos and the Elysium. From there, they can upgrade to 300+ capacity at The Bunkhouse, and from there it’s 500+ capacity at Sin City. Next, it’s the Grand Theatre at 1500 seats, before their eyes turn to the Swansea Building Society Arena at 3000 seats, the Swansea.com Stadium at 20,000 seats, and finally Singleton Park, with a capacity of 40,000. All of that potential sits within a 3-mile radius. What must be remembered is that whilst the massive gigs in Cardiff Castle, Principality Stadium, and Singleton Park are great for business, they tend to be a one-shot deal. Our local grassroots venues are there all year, drawing customers into our city centres, and let’s face it, Oasis probably played their first gig in a venue much like The Bunkhouse. Now throw in the various festivals, including the upcoming Swansea Fringe in November, and you can see why the Swansea grassroots music scene is bouncing, with more people than ever buying tickets and going to gigs. However, there is an issue. The model, nationally, is that, generally, venues get bar sales and the band/promoter gets ticket sales. This isn’t a choice by the venue, it’s the way the industry works. But it just doesn’t work anymore. The average spend per head at smaller gigs has dropped from around the £12 mark pre-covid, to £4.50 a head. There are various reasons for this, including beer prices (which is mainly alcohol duty), cost of living, and healthier lifestyles in the younger generation. The grassroots venues get it from all sides. Not only do they have to deal with the issues that come from the touring music industry, but also the issues in the hospitality industry, where NI and Minimum wage increases have had a huge effect. Being smaller venues, the alcohol they buy from the breweries is more expensive per pint than what Wetherspoons, for example, sell to their customers. Let me give you an example. In 2023, the grassroots music venues of South Wales had a collective profit margin of around 1%. In 2024, their business rates went up by 1.5%. The BID have been working with the venues and Swansea council (who have been brilliant) to try and address these issues, and together we are making headway. What’s the solution? Do we raise the profile of the venues to encourage more people to go? Well, numbers are already the highest they’ve been. Raise ticket prices? Venues have no say on ticket prices that come from the band/promoter. Encourage people to drink more? Well, no, you can’t do that. The only real solution is to change the industry model. The Music Venue Trust has recently been to parliament to try and do just that, but these things take time. In the short term, the responsibility falls on us, the punter, to support these venues as best we can. Go to gigs and buy drinks, but as businesspeople, we can do more. We can talk to venues about sponsoring events or even the stage. If we have a corporate event coming up, ask them to get involved and source and supply the band. Anything that supports these businesses, as they are the lifeblood of the musical talent in this city and across the country. Without them, the bands find it harder to gain a foothold in the industry and build their exposure. In 2004, I had the pleasure of going to a gig in the Patti Pavillion to see a band I’d never heard of, and at the time, not many other people had either. That band was Biffy Clyro. Five years later, they were winning awards and topping the charts. They were everywhere. So, that band that you’ve never heard of? They could be the next big thing, so go and support them, help them learn their craft, buy a pint or two, and help the venue in question. Let’s support and build the next generation of stadium-filling artists! Want more from Businessin Wales? 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HR & Culture

I see what you’re doing, but do you?

I see what you’re doing, but do you? I see what you’re doing, but do you? Andrew Douglas – BID Manager, Swansea Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.  This month, I turned 50. As a child of the ’70s and ’80s, I remember a time before mobile phones, when there were only four channels on the TV, and you had to get up to change them. A time when there was no 24-hour news, and your local news came from the evening paper, your local radio station, or regional TV. In 1994, I went to university and searched the internet for the first time. By the time I finished, internet access at home was becoming the norm. Combined with satellite TV, this brought a barrage of news. Then mobile phones and social media appeared, and the number of news sources seemed to triple overnight. Competition increased, and many smaller companies and news teams were either swallowed up or went out of business. This brings us to the situation we have today. Local news isn’t local anymore. Local newspapers have, more or less, been replaced by regional websites. Local radio stations often have their news piped in from a centralised head office team. Big stories are posted on social media to draw you in and make you read the article. Why are they so keen for you to read their articles? Well, that’s down to advertising. We don’t like to pay for news, but someone must fund the team that puts it together, and that’s where advertising comes in. I don’t have a problem with that; everyone needs to earn a crust. What I do have a problem with is misleading headlines designed to make you click a link. More importantly, I have an issue with articles that target specific towns and cities, feeding off the natural human desire to moan about where we live. You know the type I mean: “The 15 places that aren’t in [Town] anymore” or “Council removes [X] from city park”, deliberately omitting the reason why until the last sentence of the article. Everyone loves a grumble, it’s human nature, but these articles feed off that instinct, amplify it, and spread negativity. Worse still, they can genuinely hurt businesses, and hurt them badly. There’s a quote often (wrongly) attributed to Albert Einstein: “Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” The same principle applies here. If you are constantly highlighting the negatives of a city or town, the world starts to believe them. People stop visiting. More articles get written about the “decline” of that place, which leads to even fewer visitors. Businesses looking to invest will only see the negatives and be put off, and the cycle continues. I’m not arguing that negative stories should be suppressed. But I would like to see an end to articles that are essentially just lists of faults, not actual news, and an increase in positive, constructive reporting. So, what do we do about it? Should we boycott those outlets? Refuse to read their articles? Withdraw advertising? No. I have an issue with cancel culture, too. Everyone’s just trying to feed their families, and I would never recommend trying to take that away from anyone. I’m not 100% sure what the answer is. I’ll leave it with you — to decide how best we can stop the damage being done to our towns and city centres. I’ll sign off with a message to those media outlets guilty of this kind of journalism: “I can see what you’re doing. I understand why. But do you see what you are doing?” Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials Linkedin X Instagram TikTok Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Audible Uncategorised NFU Cymru President urges PM to rethink Inheritance Tax reform as farmers face ‘distress and torment’ Farming, Finance, Public Sector & Government, Uncategorised Glide secures NatWest funding to accelerate UK broadband expansion Residential Property, Technology & Innovation, Uncategorised Principality Stadium set to host opening ceremony of EURO 2028 Tourism & Travel, Uncategorised Swansea: A city on the up! Finance, Public Sector & Government, Residential Property, Tourism & Travel, Uncategorised

Tourism & Travel, Transport & Infrastructure

Swansea: Let’s be proud of our city

Swansea: Let’s be proud of our city Swansea: Let’s be proud of our city Andrew Douglas – BID Manager, Swansea Thursday mornings are breakfast mornings. Every Thursday, I pop along to a local café and have breakfast with my friend and business partner. We shoot the breeze and sort out any issues we have with the small side business we run. Last week, while waiting for him to arrive, I overheard the café owner talking to a Canadian tourist who was visiting the area. The conversation was essentially about how Canada was better than Swansea — but the one arguing for Canada was the café owner! I’m firmly of the opinion that one of the worst things to happen to this city was the phrase “Pretty, S***** City.” Don’t get me wrong, Twin Town is a great film, and it was fantastic to see our city on the big screen playing itself. Usually, when we see Swansea on screen, it’s masquerading as the backdrop for Doctor Who’s latest escapade (Doctor Who can travel anywhere in time and space — just as long as it looks like South Wales). But that phrase seems to have seeped into the consciousness of the city. You only have to look at social media. Any announcement made by the council or developers regarding new projects in the regeneration of the city is met by a barrage of negativity. Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.  Swansea isn’t perfect, but sometimes we forget how lucky we are. There aren’t many cities in the UK where an office worker in the city centre can walk to the beach for lunch. Swansea Bay itself is beautiful — just head to Altitude 28 if you really want proof — and we have Gower right on our doorstep. The economic impact of tourism in the City and County of Swansea is £658 million, with 1.6 million people staying here, so obviously our visitors love it. Business-wise, we have some amazing companies based here doing incredible things. We have an internationally renowned flag manufacturer, a global vodka brand, investors pouring millions into new buildings and regeneration, one of the best hotels in Wales, a distillery exporting whisky internationally, two sports teams with a global following, a multi-award-winning indoor market, a vibrant and ever-changing city centre, and a queue of national and international brands considering our city as part of their expansion plans. And that’s before we even mention the host of SMEs and sole traders producing outstanding products and services. The business innovation, talent, and ambition in this city are staggering. It’s easy to become blasé about the wonderful things around you. We see the seafront every day, for example, and sometimes we forget to stop, take it all in, and appreciate it. When we stop seeing the things that make our city special, we just start to see the negatives. If we concentrate on those negatives and shout about them for all to hear, we reinforce them and then people don’t return, move here, or invest here. Swansea BID and Swansea Council, amongst others, are working together to encourage investors and visitors to come here. We can attend conferences, trade shows, pay for advertising, and do everything possible to put “Brand Swansea” in front of those we want to attract. But our greatest marketing tool is one we can’t really control: you, the business owner and resident of Swansea. Swansea has money pouring into it thanks to the City Deal, and that is just the start. Together, we can make that money count and attract more by each and every one of us becoming an advocate for our city. So, tonight, once you’ve finished reading this, spend some time looking at the positives of our fair city and begin to love it, like I do. Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials Linkedin X Instagram TikTok Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Audible Uncategorised Glide secures NatWest funding to accelerate UK broadband expansion Residential Property, Technology & Innovation, Uncategorised Principality Stadium set to host opening ceremony of EURO 2028 Tourism & Travel, Uncategorised Swansea: A city on the up! Finance, Public Sector & Government, Residential Property, Tourism & Travel, Uncategorised

Finance, Public Sector & Government, Residential Property, Tourism & Travel

Swansea: A city on the up!

Swansea: A city on the up! Swansea: A city on the up! Andrew Douglas – Swansea BID Manager I’ve been knocking on doors of businesses in this city for the last 25 years. I worked in welfare to work helping people find jobs and I’ve worked in radio (RIP Swansea Sound/The Wave) before my time with BID. All three jobs involved me walking into businesses and chatting with them about their issues and how I could help. Now I’m leading the BID, and getting involved with the nitty gritty of Swansea’s development plans, the past 25 years are giving me a unique perspective on how the city has changed for businesses and what changes are still needed. Swansea is going places. The Times recently listed Swansea as one of best places to invest in Wales, and we’ve been credited with being the 7th fastest growing city in the UK. The developments across the city have been brilliant, and there is still more to come. Obviously, my focus is very much on the city centre. The arena has been transformational, attracting over 750,000 people to the city since it opened. The Albert Hall and Palace Theatre redevelopment has brought these buildings back into use whilst preserving our heritage. There’s more to come with 71/72 The Kingsway and Princess quarter finished and about to be occupied. This year we’ll see Y Storfa, the Biophilic building, the Cupid Way car park and retail units finished and open. Along with the completion of the refurbishment of the units on Oxford Street and the top shop unit. Work will begin on Castle Square and the McDonald’s building, too.  It’s a lot, and there is a lot more to come in the city centre and the city as a whole too! Swansea Council have done an excellent job in securing the funding from the City Deal and, more importantly, private investment, and that’s the key. Council and government money is great but private investors only get involved when they see potential, and they can obviously see loads of it! So, why is this important to the smaller businesses of Swansea, and in particular Swansea city centre? Well, we all need to eat. By the end of the year, when all those buildings are finished and open, there will be a minimum of 1000 extra people working in the city centre. Even if only half of those people wander into the shops for lunch, based on an average spend of £7 a day, that’s an additional £910,000 into the tills of our food businesses. To get to those eateries, they’ll have to walk past record shops, clothes shops, jewellers etc. Footfall in the city will increase, and therefore so will trade. Swansea is also increasing its city centre residents. Currently, 19% of our population is city centre-based and that is set to increase dramatically. All using local services. Footflow will increase again. Now add in those extra 750,000 that the arena has brought in and will continue to bring in, and the reason for the confidence investors have in our fine city becomes self-evident. It’s exciting times for the city at the moment, and BID will continue to be involved in giving our city centre businesses a voice in all that is to come. Hang on to your hats, people, it’s going to be an exciting ride! Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials Linkedin X Instagram TikTok Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Audible Calendar Columnists Commercial Property Construction Energy Farming Finance Food & Drink HR & Culture Legal Manufacturing Marketing Mergers & Acquisitions Public Sector & Government Recruitment Residential Property Skills & Training Sustainability & Environment Technology & Innovation Tourism & Travel Transport & Infrastructure Uncategorised Admiral Money appoints Emma Powell as new CEO as Scott Cargill to move to group’s UK Insurance business ‘Shocked’, ‘Worrying’, ‘Wrong’: Reaction as Cardiff Rugby goes into administration Potential job losses as WRU announces ‘One Wales’ programme UK pension funds urged to remain calm amid Trump’s US tariff chaos

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