THREE NEW SHOPS TO OPEN AT CWMBRAN CENTRE

Three new independent retailers are heading to the Cwmbran Centre, its owners have announced.

A crystal shop, nail salon and hair and beauty salon have all signed up for shops at the busy shopping centre, which is the dominant retail and leisure destination in the South Wales town.

DT Crystal Creations is relocating to the centre from Caerleon to 24 The Parade, a 462 sq ft unit, after agreeing a five-year lease with the centre, which is owned and managed by LCP Group, the national commercial property and investment company.

Owners Holly Havelot and Michael Stoole say they are now fitting out, with the aim of opening by the end of March. The shop will sell a range of products, including crystals and handmade home fragrance products such as wax melts, carpet freshener, vacuum cleaner discs and room sprays.

“The dream has always been to eventually trade from Cwmbran town, we are lucky enough that the perfect unit became available” said Holly.

“We have had amazing feedback from our customers in Caerleon and can’t wait for the people of Cwmbran to try our products. This is a huge step up in our business journey; we are excited for our future in Cwmbran.”

USA Nails will open at 34 The Parade, on Monday, March 20. Owned by Emma Nguyen, she has agreed a five-year lease for the 658 sq ft shop – her first business venture – where she will provide a range of nail technician services, including manicures and pedicures, as well as extensions and Biab (builder gel). She has created two jobs.

Ooh La La Hair and Beauty is also opening at 14 Monmouth Walk after agreeing a five-year lease for the 1,847 sq ft shop.

LCP Group, which is part of M Core, one of the largest, privately held commercial property portfolios in the UK, acquired the centre at the beginning of last year and has since implemented a programme to improve the diversity of tenants.

Alex Williams, of LCP, said: “After welcoming more than 20 new shops to the centre over the past 15 months, we are thrilled that three more retailers have decided to make their home at Cwmbran Centre.

“Our hard work is paying off, with footfall increasing significantly, thanks to the diverse range of stores for all ages. There’s no doubt that Cwmbran Centre is thriving.”

Its most recent Cwmbran Centre customer survey, which was published in November, showed that local shoppers wanted to see pet shops, fashionwear, greengrocers, restaurants, a bakery and homeware options, alongside more niche requests including an angling shop and a tanning salon.

In 2022, Cwmbran Centre welcomed 19.75 million people – an 8% increase (1.5 million) on the previous year.

LCP has continued its commitment to investing in Cwmbran, with the acquisition of the neighbouring prime leisure complex, Leisure@Cwmbran.

The dominant leisure facility in the town, it has an eight-screen Vue cinema, 20-lane Hollywood Bowl complex plus six restaurant units, including a Harvester, German Doner Kebab and Pepe’s Peri Peri. A tanning salon, gym and an independent college are also on the site.