EXCLUSIVE: It is packed with independent shops but the town is divided as a lack of free parking and the arrival of a big name supermarket take their toll.
Crickhowell’s high street was previously named the best in Britain (Image: Tim Merry)
Andy Burnham has vowed to save Britain’s “hollowed out high streets” filled with “vape stores, betting shops, and rogue businesses”. Indeed, there are many places across the country that used to be bustling commercial centres of communities, where locals could buy whatever they needed and more, and today are shadows of their former selves. But there are still some pockets of the UK that feel left behind in this idyllic past, with a feeling of togetherness and lots of independent businesses. Crickhowell, in Wales, was undoubtedly one of them when its high street was named the country’s best at the Great British High Street Awards in 2018.
Today, it is still unique and not just occupied by names that people recognise across the world. But all is not as well as perhaps was the case just a few years ago. Ray Grenfell, 79, has owned Grenfell and Sons for 39 years. The same people, many elderly and paying with cash, drop in again and again for groceries, and the businessman always has a catch up with them as he puts items through the till. Lots of retired people move to the area, the Express was told. Out of 6,938 residents, 2,287 were aged 60 to 79 in 2021 and 577 were 80 and over.
“It was doing so well [but], like everybody, it’s suffering at the moment,” Mr Grenfell said.
Massive nationwide problems faced by small businesses, like inflation, huge companies opening branches locally and the rise of online shopping, are exacerbated by roadworks and a lack of free parking.
Businesspeople claim to have suffered a decrease in trade of at least a third since Co-op opened a store in 2024.
“They were digging up the roads yesterday and the street was closed,” Mr Grenfell said. “They dug a hole and left it for two days, then came back. Everything the council does they seem to do against you without thinking.”
He added: “We need a free car park at the top so people can park and not worry about it and additional car parking so people working can park without blocking the street.”
Shop worker Annie Chamberlaine, 62, who has lived in the town for 31 years, said: “It is lovely.
‘I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else’
Ray Grenfell, owner of Grenfell and Sons (Image: Tim Merry)
Annie Chamberlaine works at Grenfell and Sons (Image: Tim Merry)
“It has a lovely charm about it. People who come once, they always come back; it’s one of those places.
“People are always really friendly and very helpful – they go out of their way to help. We look after elderly residents.
“They ring up with their orders and if they can’t get out, we put it together.”
Talk of a bypass around the town rears its head every now and again, Ms Chamberlaine said, but residents slap it down.
“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” she added.
Florist Debbie Davis, 51, who has owned her shop for 19 years, is far less positive. She’s suffered from a noticeable drop in footfall and says Crickhowell is “dying on its a**e now, basically,”.
“A lot of the shop keepers are trying to find ways to keep things vibrant,” she explained.
Her trade has “dramatically changed” as customers shift to buying online and a lot of people in her profession now work from home and run “cottage industries”.
“The biggest thing for us here is [needing] free parking for people,” Ms David added.
“You’re already competing with your rates, insurances and all other bits and bobs.
“You’re always battling against all of that.”
‘We keep the yobs out’
Debbie Davis owns Petals (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
Pete Saxon has been a landlord for 50 years (Image: Tim Merry)
The businesswoman did, however, mention that in Wales there is small business relief, which provides eligible small business premises with a 100% discount on rates if the chargeable value is up to £6,000.
This is a “massive help”, Ms David said.
Pete Saxon, 79, has been a landlord 50 years. He has run the Britannia Inn, whose front is adorned with a vibrant display of colourful flowers, for 12 years.
He says the secret to the town’s success is the friendliness of its business owners and making shops “look good”.
“You go to places like [nearby] Brecon and it’s all charity shops,” Mr Saxon said.
“We’ve got the best of everything, really.”
Crickhowell benefits from about 30,000 visitors when the Green Man music, arts and science festival takes place nearby.
“We wouldn’t survive if it wasn’t for tourists,” the landlord said.
“They come all year round as long as you give them a good service. Everybody’s made very welcome.”
Also crucial is a no nonsense approach to misbehaviour.
“We keep the yobs out,” Mr Saxon said. “There’s a lot around but we keep them out of town; we don’t put up with it.”
One thing the landlord isn’t happy about, however, is his annual electricity bill which has now hit £60,000.
“Everything is high,” he said.
Things have not been the same since the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Saxon added.
He said: “Gone are the days of the pubs being packed every night and calling last orders.
“You don’t need to now. Come 9 o’clock every night everybody’s gone.”
Mr Burnham has gone big on pubs since becoming the Prime Minister, promising a 20% cut to business rates in England from April.
The Welsh government controls business rates in Wales.
Mr Saxon said: “I like the guy. I think we’ve got the right guy looking to help the working man.”
He wants the Prime Minister to reverse Rachel Reeves’ increase in National Insurance contributions paid by employers, which landlords across the nation have slammed.
Mr Saxon said: “That would be a great start.”
‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’
Crickhowell benefits from tourism (Image: Tim Merry)
A Co-op opened in Crickhowell in 2024 (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
He added that “Starmer did too many U-turns”.
Labour lost control of Wales at this year’s local elections, as Plaid Cymru took control of the Senedd.
Crickhowell’s Mayor, Paul Evans CBE, said there are “no vacant shops” in the town, and he believes business owners are showing resilience.
He added: “The arrival of the first chain supermarket in the town a couple of years ago was certainly controversial, but so far the worst fears of those who did not welcome it have not been realised.”
The mayor also mentioned that there is “undoubtedly insufficient parking in the town to cope with peak demand when commuters, shoppers and tourists coincide”.
“We are searching for solutions but it has been hard to find an agreed one, and Powys County Council, which has direct authority over parking provision, has not been particularly proactive in helping us find one,” Cllr Evans said.
“We have had to bear with some very necessary roadworks on the A40 which passes right through the middle of the town recently. Unfortunately you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, or resurface a trunk road without stopping traffic at some point.”
The high street is “undoubtedly one of the town’s greatest assets”, he added, and the town council aims to do everything it can to “support the fabulous team of energetic entrepreneurs who make it what it is and help keep Crickhowell’s money in the town, enhancing our prosperity, rather than it disappearing into the coffers of some faceless and distant corporations”.
“Many people travel from the surrounding areas just for the pleasure of shopping in our town,” the mayor said.
“But we know we cannot afford to be complacent.”
A spokesperson for Powys County Council said it recognises the challenges faced by businesspeople and the concerns they raise.
They added: “Through initiatives such as the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, Powys County Council is supporting investment in town centre regeneration, bringing vacant buildings back into use and helping to increase footfall. We also promote a range of business support schemes, including grants, advice and rate relief opportunities, to help businesses adapt and thrive.”
Some works are essential to maintain and improve infrastructure, they said, and the council works with contractors and utility companies to “minimise disruption wherever possible”.
A spokesperson for Co-op said: “As a community retailer, Co-op is committed to backing Britain’s high streets and we’re proud to serve the residents of Crickhowell. A mix of businesses in a town centre helps attract residents and visitors by providing more choice, and our store helps locals shop conveniently, delivering quality, value and added services close to home.”