Three Welsh businesses take festive retail space in Castle Arcade

Owners Gilly Jenkins, Owen Davies and Ceri Carlyon (left to right)

Castle Arcade has welcomed three new independent businesses this month in the run up to the Christmas shopping season.

Green & Jenks, Tŷ Caws and Welsh Connection have taken advantage of a scheme to offer Christmas pop-up spaces in the Castle Quarter Arcades which gives local businesses the opportunity to take city centre retail space on a short or flexible lease.

Green & Jenks is an independent deli, hampers and gift shop specialising in artisan food and drinks from across Wales. This year celebrates the 135th anniversary of its founding as the Roath Park Dairy Company on Albany Road, Roath. With an existing shop on Wellfield Rd, the Castle Arcade location will be its second in the city and will focus on artisan food and gifts in the run up to Christmas.

British cheese specialist, Tŷ Caws, is a regular at Cardiff’s farmers markets as well as offering its seasonal cheese selection through an online shop and delivery service in the city. Committed to supporting British farmers and cheese makers, Tŷ Caws will stock a range of cheese, including their very own first batch as well as butter, yoghurt, accompaniments and gift hampers.

Tŷ Caws’ new store in Castle Arcade

Welsh Connection is a small ceramic and homeware design company with a focus on sharing Welsh culture and heritage through its range of products. Currently selling online and through stockists across Wales and the UK, the new Welsh Connection shop will offer its range of Wales-inspired ceramics for the home or gifting.

Welsh Connection’s new store in Castle Arcade

Owen Cahill, partner at EJ Hales, acting on behalf of landlord Mansford LLP, said:

“This is the third year we have run this popular scheme to use vacant space in the Arcade to support independent businesses into city centre retail units, most for the first time. Offering a pop-up arrangement means they can either just take advantage of the Christmas sales period, or can build on the success of a festive launch and retain the unit into the new year, again on very flexible terms.

“Combining the unique atmosphere of its Victorian heritage, with some of the cities’ most exciting new independent retail and hospitality businesses, Castle Arcade offers a unique customer experience which is at its most magical in the run up to Christmas,”

Under the flexible pop-up lease, Tŷ Caws will trade until the new year, with the other two businesses continuing into 2024.

Green & Jenks opened on 26 October, Welsh Connection on 28 October and Tŷ Caws opened on 8 November.