Carmarthenshire businesses offered retail spot amongst national chains

Small local businesses are being given the opportunity to display and sell their goods amongst big high street chains as part of Carmarthenshire County Council’s 100% Sir Gâr initiative.

The council has secured a pop-up shop at a prime location in Carmarthen’s St Catherine’s Walk over two weeks in August, to be followed by a second pop up venue at the popular Pembrey Country Park.

Local producers and arts and crafts businesses including One of a Find, CWRW, Louise Jones Arts and Anrhegion Eli Mai Gifts are amongst those that are taking advantage of the space to display and share their goods.

100% Sir Gâr was developed during the Covid-19 pandemic as a virtual shop window on the council’s Discover Carmarthenshire website, as a way of supporting local businesses to recover from a long period of lockdown and restrictions on retail.

It is part of the council’s overall Economic Recovery Plan which aims to safeguard and create jobs, support businesses and bolster the local economy over the next two years, focusing efforts on 11 key themes with emphasis on maximising opportunities for local businesses and growing the economy.

100% Sir Gâr has been supported by Carmarthenshire’s town and community councils, local business and retail groups, and the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2014-2020, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

The St Catherine’s Walk pop-up shop will be open from Wednesday August 4 until Saturday August 7, and from Wednesday August 11 to Saturday August 14.

Then it will move to Pembrey Country Park, from Thursday August 19 to Saturday August 21.

Leader of the council and Executive Board Member for Regeneration, Cllr Emlyn Dole, said: “We are delighted to give local small businesses the opportunity to open a pop-up shop in Carmarthen’s St Catherine’s Walk Shopping Centre over the busy summer holidays, and we’re grateful to the shopping centre management for supporting this venture.
“Here in Carmarthenshire, we are lucky to have a vibrant and diverse range of small local businesses who are producing some wonderful arts and crafts, food and drink, fashion, homeware, gifts and more. It is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of local businesses that normally would not have an opportunity at a prime high street location.
“We look forward then to taking the pop-up show down the road to Pembrey Country Park which will be a beautiful location for local producers to display and share their goods and crafts.”

Emily Thompson, owner of Pretty Little Props, said: “This is an opportunity we can’t miss. Pop-ups have always been a huge part of our success so we are so grateful to be part of this and get back to doing face to face sales which I know our customers love.”

For more information about 100% Sir Gâr, to browse Carmarthenshire’s range of small local businesses or to sign-up if you are a local producer, visit www.discovercarmarthenshire.com/shopping