Traders have revealed fears that independent shops in Cardiff city centre could be facing a "death sentence" amid an onslaught of difficulties. We have spoken with four small business owners who feel the shopping area is under threat.
The shop owners have been struggling with business rates, wholesale prices, and energy bills. They also pointed to customers' difficulties getting into the city centre as well as long-lasting harm wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic.
One of those considering his shop's future is Yogesh Patel who has run the Beauty Lounge boutique in Queens Arcade for a decade. In recent years the shopping centre has been increasingly dominated by empty units. The Gorilla War Wear clothing store and Miss Petals haberdashery are among the latest businesses to have left the complex.
