Wrexham Glyndwr University offering support to small, local businesses in food industry

The North Wales Business School of Glyndwr University now specialises in advising and supporting local small businesses in the food industry on how they can grow, in addition to its offering of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses.

Research indicates that approximately 20 per cent of small business start-ups failed in the first year, around 30 per cent in the second year and around 50 per cent in the fifth year.

This has led to organisational struggle, and leaves the practitioners with unanswered questions.

Professor Graham Jackson said: “We support and mentor small business start-ups to increase the survival rate in the food sector.

“I have recently worked with small and medium-sized businesses in North East Wales such as Patchwork Foods Ltd and Natural Wholefoods Ltd to identify fundraising and business restructuring so they will have more opportunity to be more successful”.

The North Wales Business School applied for the LEADER grant and received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014–2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

The project investigates managerial skills required to succeed in small business start-ups in the food sector.

The findings were used to design online learning for enhancing the managerial skills of small business owners.

Supporting small businesses are critical because these parts of knowledge transfer from academia to local businesses.

In addition, small businesses are considered as the engine of economic growth improving local economies and gross domestic product.

If you live in Wrexham, Flintshire or Denbighshire and are thinking about opening your own business in the food sector, you can contact us to register your interest, or if you want any advice on how to begin your entrepreneurial careers. Places are limited to 20 people.

Please contact Professor Jackson at [email protected] telephone 0197829066 or 07783372747 or Dr Binsardi at [email protected]