Monthly Archives: March 2021

Accounts and Accountancy, Finance and Banking, News

GS Verde Group expands with South West acquisition

The GS Verde Group, a multi-discipline deal making group focused on corporate finance and mergers and acquisition work, has taken another step on its buy and build growth strategy, with the strategic acquisition of South West based Astrum Accountants.

The addition of Astrum to the fast-growing group, will see outsourced finance director and accounting services added to the integrated professional services provided to businesses on a scale-up or growth trajectory.

Technologically advanced advisory business Astrum, will continue to provide finance director and accounts department services to businesses and, as part of the integrated GS Verde Group, its clients will now have access to the group’s other services including legal, corporate finance advice and marketing and communication strategy advice.

Astrum’s established team of experienced accountants and practice staff will continue to operate autonomously from its offices near Bristol.  Speaking on joining the group, Martin Vincent, founder of Astrum, said: “Joining the GS Verde Group is an exciting and natural progression for Astrum and its team because we love being ‘not like other accountants’.  Making available an array of specialist professional and strategic services for developing and growing businesses will differentiate and strengthen the Astrum proposition even more“.

The addition of Astrum to the group is part of an ongoing growth strategy for the corporate finance led GS Verde Group, to not only increase its service offering to scale-up business owners, but also to grow the geographical foot-print of the group.   The combined group is now over 50 staff, across 4 offices and 2 satellite locations, with the acquisition itself providing 12 new skilled employees to the Group and c.£1m of new revenue within the first 12 months of acquisition.

Group CEO, Nigel Greenaway, said of the news: “We are delighted to welcome Astrum to our group.   As a disruptive, and innovative business ourselves, we have continually looked to add specialist teams to our group that will assist scale-up businesses with integrated professional support focused on fully supporting corporate finance and M&A projects.   Our ability to advise our fast growth clients on the financial, communication and legal aspects of a corporate project, in an integrated offering, has become a real game-changer for the clients and represents a focused value added service across all of our disciplines”.

In addition to Astrum, the GS Verde Group now includes award-winning law firm Greenaway Scott, corporate finance specialists Verde, marketing and communications agency Dragonfly Marketing, and the digitised investment platform, the Elevate investment network.

News

Gwynedd garage plans for future growth after supporting community through Covid

AN AWARD-WINNING garage which came to the rescue of frontline workers during the Coronavirus pandemic has experienced a surge in growth and customers.

Arwyn Hughes launched Arwyn’s Garage (Garej Arwyn) in 2004 on the site of his Dad Gwyndaf’s former haulage business.

It was just Arwyn, working out of a unit on Penygroes Industrial Estate and using his years of skills and experience as a mechanic to service and repair cars and fine-tune a range of vehicles, from Land Rovers to Audis and more.

Seventeen years later and the 46 year-old employs 23 people out of three workshops in the Gwynedd village.

A Mitsubishi Master Technician, Arwyn is also well-known for the support he gave to his community in lockdown, offering free courtesy cars to NHS and frontline staff so they could get to and from work safely.

He is now focused on continuing to grow the business while ensuring the safety of his team and customers, after what he describes as a “strange and challenging” 12 months.

“It has been a year unlike any other, but we have been able to carry on by introducing health and safety measures, ensuring social distancing and operating out of the three workshops,” said Arwyn, whose partner Aimi and son Cian also work in the business.

“We’ve been around for many years, but this has been a strange and challenging time for everyone, nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.

“We were all in unchartered territory and there was so much pressure on our frontline workers that we wanted to do something to help them, so we started to give discounts on labour for MOTs and servicing and provided free courtesy cars to get them to and from work safely.

“We were just glad to be able to help and give something back to people in the village who have supported us over the years.”

As member of the Good Garage Scheme, the business has won many awards.

Arwyn has also been successful with AGT (Arwyn’s Garage Tuning) and for more than five years has been one of Celtic Tuning’s network of dealerships across 19 countries worldwide.

“We have grown and grown, and it’s largely been down to dedication and hard work,” said Arwyn, a former pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle.

“I started out on my own and was later joined by a mechanic, then an apprentice, and from there I built things up slowly.

“I think reputation and word of mouth has played a part; before Coronavirus we had customers from as far away as Scotland coming here to use our services and facilities, so we hope to see that continue when lockdown is lifted, and it is safe to do so.”

He added: “I still get involved with fixing cars, getting my hands dirty and being there in the garage – that’s all I have ever done since leaving school.

“We will keep going and keep growing, that’s my vision and with the team I have around me I know we can achieve it.”

Visit www.garejarwyn.co.uk for more information or call 01286 882 299. Alternatively, email info@garejarwyn.co.uk.

COMPETITION: Arwyn’s Garage is giving away an official Wales rugby union shirt to celebrate the Guinness Six Nations tournament. To enter the prize draw, customers need to bring their vehicle to the garage to use one of the services on offer up until March 20. Anyone already booked in will be automatically entered into the draw. For terms and conditions visit the website.

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Rufus Leonard joins Harbour’s collective of independent agency partners

The Harbour Collective today announced Rufus Leonard as its new design and technology partner, complementing its network of discrete, independent agencies.

Comprised of 14 specialist agencies (and in-turn 500+ experts), the collective of independents work together to combine skillsets across data and insight, media, content creation, engagement, experience, and production.

Rufus Leonard CEO, Laurence Parkes says, “As the Harbour Collective’s design and technology partner, we’re able to extend our team to help our clients access quality expertise from this trusted network. Meaning our clients benefit from both Rufus’ multidisciplinary team and a bespoke wider team of experts that can scale and flex to suit their needs. On the flip side, we’re ready to support our partners by applying our unique experience engineering approach, to help future clients deliver extraordinary digital experiences. This is a unique partnership that mirrors clients’ evolving need to work with partners that can deliver big thinking and quality execution while flexing painlessly as they continuously navigate change.”

Paul Hammersley, Managing Partner of Harbour says, “Harnessing digital to deliver the brand promise across the customer experience is critical; Rufus Leonard are an agency that truly makes this happen. At Harbour we use the talent at our disposal within the Collective to build the perfect team for our clients. We’re excited to welcome Rufus Leonard into this mix. They are innovators that successfully balance the edginess of an independent agency with the experience of a 30-year young, established business.”

Rufus Leonard’s appointment completes Harbour Collective’s ‘Engagement & Experience’ faction. The Collective’s other, complementary agencies include, PrettyGreen, Live & Breathe, Soul, M.i. Media, Kite Insights, Pintarget, Unit9, Curious, The Producers, Digital Natives, TCO, Happy Days and Just So.

HR News, Wellbeing at Work

Aon Survey reveals less than half of UK employers have a wellbeing strategy in place

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, has released research which provides an in-depth look at the health and wellbeing provisions offered by employers across the UK. According to Aon’s UK Benefits & Trends Survey, only 44% of employers have a formal wellbeing strategy, despite significant investment in health and benefits by employers. In addition, 22% said they did not intend to have a strategy within the next 12-18 months.

Mark Witte, head of health and risk consulting, Health Solutions UK at Aon, said:

“The fact that less than half of the employers we surveyed have a comprehensive wellbeing strategy in place is perhaps one of the key observations from this year’s survey. There is no shortage of investment in health and benefits generally, nor is there a lack of focus on specific support; however, overall, wellbeing activity all too often lacks strategic focus.

“In light of COVID-19, it is encouraging to see that a third of respondents said they expected to make a greater investment in employee health in 2021. Research shows, however, that investment in services and benefits alone will not generate required outcomes. Our Rising Resilient study showed that resilience triples when employers adopt a well-rounded health and wellbeing programme supporting physical, social, emotional, financial and career needs. It’s therefore encouraging to see that 33% of respondents intended to have a formalised health and wellbeing strategy in place in the next 12-18 months.”

The survey also showed that only 9% of employers are actively measuring the return on investment from their wellbeing programmes, despite it being a crucial way to assess and tailor them to their employees’ needs. According to Aon, this can make it harder to justify investment and secure maximum value, and may explain why 70% of employers do not have a designated budget for health and wellness.

Of the employers that have a well-rounded strategy, 55% are using employee engagement surveys to drive their health and wellbeing programmes. These have overtaken more traditional markers such as Employee Assistance Programme utilisation and absence data as the main metric for informing employers’ strategies.

Wellbeing has also moved up the corporate agenda, with more than half of employers (56%) already having or planning to have Board-level sponsorship for their wellbeing initiative. According to Aon, this shows the level of importance placed on wellbeing and what it can offer organisations in terms of improved health, engagement and productivity.

Looking ahead, employers plan to focus their 2021 healthcare spend on education and prevention, with 78% of respondents looking to focus on this area. There has, however, been a notable shift in the number of employers looking to provide access to treatment, which ranked least important 12 months ago but is now second in importance, with 39% of employers planning to focus on this offering.

The survey also illustrated the wellbeing pillars employers see as priorities.

  • Most employers (76%) now have emotional/mental wellbeing strategies in place, which is up 8 percentage points from 2020 (68%). Nearly two thirds (59%) of employers have a specific strategy in place for mental health.
  • When it comes to financial wellbeing, 41% of employers have a strategy in place, despite 61% of employers agreeing that they are responsible for influencing employee financial wellbeing. The number of employers with ‘no plans’ to implement financial wellbeing solutions has increased from 30% in 2020 to 39% in 2021.
  • Career and Social wellbeing also stayed lower on the agenda, with only 32% and 30% of employers, respectively, having defined strategies in place. These have changed in the last year: Career wellbeing has lowered as an employer priority – 36% of employers had a defined strategy last year – yet Social wellbeing has risen by 2 percentage points, up from 28% in 2020.
  • Sixty-one percent of employers have a defined strategy in place for employee physical health, a marginal decrease from 65% in 2020.

Witte added:

“Having a robust wellbeing strategy in place will contribute to employee resilience, which we can all agree is a valuable asset to have now. But as our survey highlights, it is important for employers to ensure that their strategy is inclusive of all five pillars of wellbeing; Emotional and Mental, Physical, Financial, Career and Social. There is a danger that the impact of the pandemic means employers focus the majority of their efforts on emotional and mental initiatives, and whilst this is vitally important, we urge employers to ensure the other pillars of wellbeing are not forgotten.

“The events of the past 12 months have elevated the importance of employee health as a business-critical issue. This year will undoubtedly see continued focus on wellbeing activity with a greater demand for data and insight to help not just strategy design, but also better measure value and return on investment.”

Find out more about the Aon UK Benefits and Trend Survey 2021 and download a copy of the report here.

Business News

Broadcaster to bring Growth Deal team under the spotlight at virtual forum for Wales Week London

THE team behind the £1bn North Wales Growth Deal will come under the spotlight at a special virtual event this week.

To mark Wales Week London, ITV broadcaster Carole Green is to join Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn, chair of North Wales Economic Ambition Board, and Portfolio Director Alwen Williams to discuss the Deal’s prospective impact on the region.

Taking place this Friday, the online session will also feature Askar Sheibani, interim chair of the Ambition Board’s Business Delivery Group, and programme managers Henry Aron (Energy), David Mathews (Land and Property), Stuart Whitfield (Digital) and Robyn Lovelock (Innovation in High Value Manufacturing, Agrifood and Tourism).

Carole, who was raised in Rhyl and now lives in Tremeirchion, looks forward to exploring the issues facing each member of the Portfolio Management Office, what their key priorities are and the effect the Deal will have on generations to come, socially, economically and culturally.

“As a proud North Walian I am delighted to have the opportunity to discover more about the programmes and what difference they will make to all of our lives,” said Carole.

“Having been a part of the team at ITV Wales for more than 20 years, as a news and business correspondent, these are issues that matter to me, and to many tens of thousands of people in the region.

“It’s an exciting time for the Ambition Board and vital the foundations are laid for future growth, especially given everything that’s happened over the course of the last year.

“They are determined to deliver, for communities, industry and businesses who share in their vision, so I look forward to finding out more.”

Alwen added: “We are pleased Carole is able to join us for this session, which aims to dig deeper into the progress made so far and our next steps.

“A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes and our programme managers will be on hand to share latest information, as well as their thoughts and ideas on the road ahead.

“The Growth Deal is going to play a pivotal role in the region’s fight back against Covid and the challenges so many individuals and businesses have been through – we hope you can join us.”

Held over the period of St David’s Day each year since 2017, this is the fifth successive annual Wales Week London programme and includes events covering business and technology, the arts, music and concerts, film and the media, politics, sport and more.

Co-founder and chair of the Wales Week initiative Dan Langford plans to tune in to the Ambition Board event, and said: “Working again with both the Welsh and UK Governments, and with the amazing support of our partners, sponsors and event organisers, there are 60 events taking place, commemorating our national day, celebrating our culture and promoting a modern Wales to the rest of the world.”

He added: “The Growth Deal is an economic driver for jobs, skills and infrastructure in North Wales and neighbouring regions at a crucial time – I look forward to finding out more.”

The free event runs from 11.30am-12.45pm this Friday (March 5).

To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cynllun-twf-gogledd-cymru-north-wales-growth-deal-tickets-142245109953

For more on North Wales Economic Ambition Board, visit www.northwaleseab.co.uk or follow them on social media @buegogleddcymru and @northwaleseab.

Visit www.walesweek.london for the full Wales Week London programme.

News

Student idea stirs up interest in Wrexham coffee shop focused on equality and diversity

STUDENTS stirred up a latte interest in their brilliant business idea during a national Hack of Kindness.

Coleg Cambria learners Riccardo Dotolo, Sophie Weaver and Ben White, from Wrexham, were commended by judges for their cafe concept promoting equality and diversity.

The trio, all former students at St Joseph’s High School, designed plans for a coffee shop managed and operated by people living with disabilities.

Organised by Wales Co-operative Centre – and funded by the Social Business Wales programme – the panel loved their Coff-E-Quality concept and heaped praise on the learners for the way they presented on the day.

Business Studies student Riccardo, based at Coleg Cambria Yale, said: “We were all in school together and have a great bond, so we worked really well as a group.

“This was an opportunity to find out more about running a business, it was a good challenge and we enjoyed it.

“We all came up with the idea for a social enterprise and wanted the profits to be put towards the wages and a charity for disabled people, which received a lot of positive feedback.”

Ben, currently studying for the Neurotech qualification at Yale, added: “We think disabled people should have the same opportunities in employment as everybody else.

“Presenting in front of the judges was quite nerve racking as we were against the clock, but they were pleased with our idea.”

Sophie, based at Northop, thanked the college, especially Learner Experience and Enterprise Manager Rona Griffiths, for their support.

“Rona and the team really championed us and gave us the confidence to believe we could do it,” she said.

“We would really love to make Coff-E-Quality a social enterprise one day, that’s our long-term plan.”

Rona was thrilled with their efforts and said: “The three of them impressed me so much, they brimmed with positivity, resilience and drive.

“They were a perfect team, supported each other and overcame their nerves to give a fantastic presentation in what was a pan-Wales event.”

Martin Downes, Social Entrepreneur Officer at the Wales Co-operative Centre, added: “Eighty five learners from five colleges across Wales took part, co-operating, collaborating, being creative, and developing ideas to generate profit for good that can be reinvested to make a positive difference to communities.

“To stimulate the teams as they worked together, we ran a series of sprint workshops on social enterprise, asset mapping, creative thinking, marketing and PR, funding and financing a new venture, teamwork, working with stakeholders, and pitching skills.

“It was an intense two days with pitches based around equine therapy, dog products, mental health apps, cycling, supporting children who may not be able to afford sports equipment, autism and health and wellbeing cafes, supporting care homes with iPads, and a whole lot more.

“The students from Cambria were amazing! It was a great idea and pitch from Ben, Riccardo and Sophie. We are excited about seeing them turn their plans into reality.”

For more news and information from Coleg Cambria, visit www.cambria.ac.uk

Brexit, Construction, Manufacturing, News

Local Business speaks out on Brexit challenges for Welsh Manufacturers

The boss of Archwood Group, the North Wales-based business behind two leading UK manufacturers, has revealed the pressures companies are facing from long delays and extra costs due to Brexit and urges a more ‘streamlined’ approach to paperwork.

Archwood Group – a leading manufacturer of timber products, based in Chirk, near Wrexham – is experiencing major challenges with its exports to the Republic of Ireland since the UK left the EU.

The issues are having an impact on the group’s trading brands: Richard Burbidge, a manufacturer and supplier of stairparts, decking accessories and decorative mouldings, and Atkinson & Kirby, which makes and supplies premium hardwood flooring.

Archwood Group took steps to prepare for the UK leaving the EU customs union and single market at the end of last year but has still found itself facing significant disruption to its business.

Josh Burbidge, Managing Director of Archwood Group, said: “Our exports to Ireland have caused the most challenges, with our goods being held up at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for around three weeks.

“Initially, the issue concerned what information was required and in what format for the customs declarations. For example, the HMRC system needed to be updated because our goods had been incorrectly flagged as needing phytosanitary documentation. This is an official document required when shipping regulated things, such as plants, so shouldn’t be required for our products. But because of this our products are being held at the border for around three weeks until the orders are reclassified.

“We continue to face delays of our products reaching the Republic of Ireland because the customs paperwork is taking a long time to process, which adds to our costs.”

The company is also having to bear the cost of using special heat-treated ISPM pallets to transport products over the border, with the prices for these rising significantly. And the rules of origin have complicated matters further because Archwood Group’s customers now face import duty for products the company buys from outside the UK, such as plastic mouldings.

To overcome the challenges, The Archwood Group is working closely with its freight partners, as well as its bigger customers and nationwide merchants to work out the best way to supply stores and home-delivery depots.

However, these challenges are adding extra pressure on top of the demands the company is facing because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Josh continues: “Last year, much of the focus for our business had shifted to dealing with the demands of the pandemic. For many months, all talk of Brexit had disappeared while businesses grappled with the Covid-19 crisis.

“But now the disruptions we face are twofold, with Brexit and coronavirus having an impact. The pressure on our supply chain teams has been significant and continues to be a challenge.”

Josh said: “We’re currently having to cover the additional costs from delivered duty paid (DDP), which means we must deliver the goods at our own expense and pay all duties. But our products aren’t priced in a way that means we can cover a lot of extra costs, so we’ll unfortunately have to look at an additional charge or tax for our customers to pay for this.

“Moving forward, we’d like to see more alignment between the UK and the Republic of Ireland on what paperwork is required, rather than asking businesses like ours for certificates that aren’t relevant to what we’re exporting.

“If we don’t find a way to reduce the cost of transit, it will challenge many businesses, especially those with low margins. It’s an unwanted burden in already difficult times.

“We keep up-to-date with Government advice and have attended multiple webinars providing guidance on Brexit. But a lot of this advice has been generic and has often left us searching for answers on certain aspects of post-Brexit trade. Ultimately, despite this guidance, there has been mass confusion post-Brexit, and more needs to be done to help businesses like ours.”

The Archwood Group had received no contact from the Government but the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have been helping and supporting the company with the issues it’s facing.

David Hopkins, Chief Executive at the Timber Trade Federation comments: “The issues highlighted by Archwood are indicative of those faced by hundreds, if not thousands, of small to medium sized businesses across the UK. The costs can be carried and spread more easily by larger firms delivering larger orders. But, the costs are the same for each one of the multiple smaller deliveries that companies like Archwood are making across borders. They obviously want to keep their customers in those countries so face a choice between increased costs and lower margins or losing business altogether. This is not a recipe for business growth.

The TTF has been supporting members with guidance and information, and also lobbying Government to recognise the pressures that businesses are under. At some point, the Government needs to put pragmatism before hard-nosed ideology and show that it wants to support UK business, not put up barriers to hinder their prospects.”

For more information about Archwood Group, please visit: https://archwoodgroup.com/

Logistics Tech, News

Geotab and VisionTrack offer DVS-compliant solution to help improve pedestrian and cyclist safety in the UK

Now available on the Geotab Marketplace, the VisionTrack DVS solution meets Transport for London’s new Direct Vision Standard requirements

Geotab, a global leader in IoT and connected transportation, and VisionTrack, the leading supplier of video telematics technology, today announced the launch of VisionTrack’s government compliant DVS solution on the Geotab Marketplace, a growing portfolio of mobile apps, software Add-Ins and hardware Add-Ons. This solution will help fleets with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the Greater London area meet the compliance standard that is designed to reduce potential risk to pedestrians and cyclists.

VisionTrack’s DVS solution meets the Transport for London (TfL) Direct Vision Standard (DVS), which makes cameras and other safety technology mandatory for many HGVs travelling in London, England. The DVS solution offers a comprehensive range of hardware that has been specially-developed for HGVs, including side scans, audible left turn alarm, side view camera, in-cab monitor and blind-spot safety signage.

“There is an opportunity to make a genuine difference in London by minimising the dangers that are disproportionately faced by vulnerable road users. TfL’s initial estimation suggested that over half of vehicles over 12-tonnes entering the capital do not meet the one-star DVS rating, so if this is broadly accurate then many road transport fleets will be significantly impacted by the DVS legislation. Our class-leading DVS-compliant offering is suitable for all commercial vehicle models above 12 tonnes, which can be used as a standalone solution or as part of an integrated system that meets wider video telematics and fleet compliance requirements,” said Richard Lane, Commercial Director of VisionTrack.

Under TfL’s new DVS permit system, all vehicles over 12 tonnes will need to hold a valid DVS permit to operate in the Greater London region. The permit system will rate driver visibility from the cab – without the support of technological visual aids – of other road users, notably pedestrians and cyclists. If a vehicle falls below a certain threshold, then technology must be fitted to help mitigate the lack of direct vision. This DVS permit system is being put in place as part of London’s Vision Zero plan, aiming to eliminate road deaths and injuries in London by 2041.

“As of March 2021, as many as 250,000 vehicles could be affected by the new standard, with many needing to add sensors, cameras or alarms in order to be granted permission to operate in the Greater London area. Depending on the success of this initiative, it could be likely that other regions may follow in London’s footsteps with this safety approach,” said David Savage, Associate Vice President, UK and Ireland. “With pedestrian and road safety as a core pillar of our telematics platform, we felt it was of the utmost importance to partner with an organisation like VisionTrack to offer a DVS solution that can help to not only meet compliance requirements, but also to potentially reduce pedestrian and cyclist injury and death in London.”

In addition to the DVS offering, a number of other VisionTrack video telematics solutions are also now available on the Geotab Marketplace to help fleets quickly respond to driving events and gain a better understanding of fleet risk. These include forward-facing connected cameras, mobile digital video recorders (DVRs) and multi-channel cameras and monitors.

To learn more about VisionTrack’s Marketplace offering, visit: https://marketplace.geotab.com/solutions/visiontrack/

Education, Healthcare, News

Institute of Health & Social Care Management partners with Arden University

The Institute of Health & Social Care Management (IHSCM) is delighted to announce a formal partnership with Arden University enabling Institute members to access and influence relevant, career-ready courses and Arden students to enjoy the benefits of IHSCM membership.

Arden University is a leading provider of online and blended learning higher education and has a growing reputation for the quality and breadth of its health and social care curriculum through its School of Healthcare Management.

The IHSCM will work with Arden University to enable sector leaders from its member organisations to contribute to curriculum development and delivery, as well as enrolling all of Arden University’s School of Healthcare Management students into the Institute. Arden’s 1000 healthcare management students will enjoy unlimited access to the IHSCM’s diverse range of events, conferences, workshops and networks as well as opportunities for mentoring and coaching.

Announcing the partnership, the IHSCM’s CEO, Jon Wilks, said:

“This is a wonderful partnership in the full sense of the word, enabling our members and Arden’s students to enjoy learning and development opportunities together. We are delighted at the potential for further collaboration that it provides and believe that this is a great template for development of health and social care education.”

Stephanie West, Head of the School of Healthcare Management at Arden University, commented:

“We are excited and thrilled to be working with the Institute of Health and Social Care Management to mutual advantage. Our students will thrive with the experience and expertise in the sector that members of the IHSCM will provide.”

Jon Wilks added: “The Institute of Health and Social Care Management can trace its formation back to 1902 and there is no doubt that the original founders would be in favour of this partnership. It is very much in keeping with the overall intention of supporting and encouraging the development of IHSCM members.”

Food & Drink, News, News from Wales

Peter’s celebrates 50 years of baking in Wales with new brand logo and photography

Welsh pastry baker Peter’s, famous for their pies, pasties and sausage rolls, is celebrating its fiftieth year of baking in Wales.

To honour this milestone, Peter’s has marked the start of 2021 by launching a new design. Retaining the colour green synonymous with Peter’s, the packaging features a new ‘signature’ logo and appealing photography, with the design encompassing the pastry baker’s family themed ‘A taste of home’ message.

Mike Grimwood, Managing Director of Peter’s, said: “We are delighted to celebrate our fiftieth year with the launch of our design. Peter’s products are a family favourite in many homes across Wales and our rebrand reflects our commitment to providing affordable, tasty products that families can enjoy together.”

The new design will be rolled out across all of the company’s retail packaging ready for the St David’s Day promotions taking place in supermarkets across Wales.

Mike said: “We hope this new style and messaging really resonates with our customers, particularly as families are spending more mealtimes together at home. Wherever our customers call ‘home, they can enjoy a lovingly baked treat from our home to theirs.”

Peter’s fans are encouraged to join in with their fiftieth anniversary celebrations by sharing their memories and favourite products using the hashtag #ATasteOfHome.

Now a household name, Peter’s came from humble beginnings. Established by family man and entrepreneur Stan Thomas as a small pie manufacturer in Merthyr Tydfil, “Thomas’ Pies” supplied highly sought-after savoury pastries to the Valleys.

The Thomas family, including sons Sir Stanley Thomas OBE and Peter Thomas CBE, moved the business to its existing home in Bedwas, Caerphilly in 1970 and created the now highly successful Peter’s brand.

Although Peter’s is no longer run by the Thomas’, the founding family maintains a close affinity with the business and recently called to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary. Prior to his passing in 2015, Stan also enjoyed visiting the Bedwas bakery, meeting with staff and sharing his passion for pies.

Mike Grimwood said: “Peter’s is Stan’s, Stanley’s and Peter’s legacy – a household name that supplies retailers and venues across Britain, and based in a modern, purpose-built factory in Bedwas.

“They had a passion for pastry, innovative ideas and a brain for business. Stan saw the opportunities the end of meat rationing offered in the 1950s and created a company which simply grew and grew, today employing 700 staff and selling millions of pies every year.”

The vision and growth of Peter’s has continued through several management changes during the half century. In the 1990s, the business expanded its Bedwas bakery and operations, and grew its Foodservice and retail offering, taking Peter’s to chip shops and supermarkets across the UK.

The following decades have seen further development with the pastry baker growing its portfolio beyond its traditional ranges. Peter’s launched a ‘Seriously Tasty’ range and other products through brand partnerships with Quorn, Heinz, Sharwoods and Bisto. Production has also expanded after the company secured ‘own label’ contracts with major supermarkets.

The company has enjoyed loyalty from its customers over the half century, with many of their bestselling products, including the corned beef pasty and minced beef and onion pie, remaining as popular today as when they were launched by Peter’s fifty years ago.

Mike Grimwood continues: “From much-loved old favourites to new and exciting ranges, our amazing customers have been with us every step of the way. We are extremely grateful to the generations of families who have enjoyed our pies and pasties throughout the years and continue to select Peter’s as their pastries of choice”.