Fed members at Welsh Parliament, the Senedd

(Left to right: Vince Malone; Mark Dudden and Peter Robinson at the Senedd)

Senior Fed members Vince Malone, Mark Dudden and Peter Robinson attended a Welsh Retail Consortium (WRC) Market Intelligence briefing at the Tŷ Hywel building next to the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday, September 29. They addressed a group of Welsh Politicians, including the Plaid Cymru’s Elwyn Vaughan MS.

The Fed and WRC group raised concerns about high business costs, including concerns about rising business rate bills and high commercial energy prices.

The group was also informed by the WRC of the challenge around higher inflation, which has been hitting retail footfall and the fact many retailers in Wales – and retailers in common with the rest of the UK – are not employing more staff because of higher National Insurance Contributions and other costs linked to hiring.

Vince and Peter were also called on to directly speak on behalf of the independent retail sector in front of Senedd members. They both spoke about the social and economic impact of shops, as well as the danger of many becoming insolvent in the years ahead if they are not given more support from the Welsh and Westminster governments. Discussion also touched on the implementation of DRS next year, which in Wales, will also include glass from 2031, something the Fed has opposed.

The meeting follows recent engagement the Fed has had before and after this year’s election to the Welsh Senedd .This has included meetings at various Welsh retailers, including most recently at Vince Malone’s in west Wales.