Cwmbran Shopping has announced the opening of a new skate-boarding, BMX and scooter retailer, opening its second site in South East Wales.
Freestyle Skatestore occupies a new 720 square foot site in The Arcade, cementing Cwmbran’s already healthy place on the urban sports map.
The store, which opened its first site in Newport in 1995, is owned and run by experienced skaters, Darran Ward and Steve Hicks, who both enjoy taking part in urban sports in their spare time.
The move represents further growth for the company, as it has created three new jobs for the local community.
Freestyle Skatestore is also determined to improve skating facilities for people in Cwmbran, as skate parks are currently being boycotted by some skaters due to concerns about their safety.
The store has a history of campaigning to improve skating facilities for local communities – having already worked with Newport Borough Council and community members to improve urban sports facilities in Newport.
Darran Ward, 36, co-owner of Freestyle Skatestore, said:
“I’ve worked at Freestyle Skatestore since we opened in 1995 and we’re delighted to introduce a new store in Cwmbran Shopping. We’ve always been very lucky to be a destination store, but now we can already see the benefits of the increased footfall in Cwmbran.
“Cwmbran Shopping has free parking for our customers and the centre is always immaculate, with very little anti-social issues, providing a great shopping atmosphere for our customers – something we’re very pleased to be a part of.
“Everybody at Freestyle Skatestore is passionate about delivering the best possible experience and range of products for our customers.
“We’re now looking to build a presence in the local community and a rapport with the Local Authority, to try and improve the skating facilities available locally. We’re proud to be part of the skater community and we will try and help in any way that we can.”
Gerry Hutchings, Centre Manager of Cwmbran Shopping, said:
“We are extremely pleased that Freestyle Skatestore has chosen Cwmbran Shopping for its latest outlet.
“It has built a reputable name and we are sure it will continue to thrive here. Cwmbran has a very strong skating and BMX following, and we are delighted to see a new store opening that will meet the needs of our customers.”