Street traders wanted to boost city centre’s vibrancy

AMERICAN-style hot dogs, fancy artisan bread and hand-made jewellery could soon be on the way to the streets of Swansea city centre.

Swansea Council is on the hunt for 11 street traders to take up pitches in spots including Oxford Street, Union Street and Princess Way.

The scheme is open to fresh ideas, but opportunities include street food, arts and crafts, jewellery, candles, paintings and photography, handbags, balloons, seasonal goods, flowers and face-painting.

Applications are open until Friday June 26, but preference will be given to businesses proposing to sell unique and currently unrepresented goods and services. Local and hand-crafted goods will also be favoured.

St Mary’s Square and St David’s Square are among the other pitch locations.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “Quality street traders can add so much to the visitor experience and vibrancy of a city centre. We have certain types of goods in mind, but we’d also urge anyone who has a new or innovative business idea to get in touch too.

“What’s key here is that we’re looking to complement the offer of our fantastic city centre and market traders. It’s about generating a level of footfall that will benefit all city centre businesses. We want to create a bustling atmosphere that builds on Swansea’s reputation for standing out from the crowd, so preference will be given to prospective street traders looking to sell unique products that aren’t currently available in the city centre.

“The quality and appearance of the businesses being proposed will be an essential part of the decision process once the application deadline has passed. This is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs, new start-up businesses and established traders to be part of the changing face of Swansea city centre.”

Visit www.swanseacitycentre.com/streettrading for an application pack or more information.