The Welsh Government has acquired the former Remploy site at Fforestfach in Swansea and leased it to Accommodation Furniture Solutions Ltd (AFS) – the worker co-operative set up by former Remploy employees.
The lease – which provides AFS with an option to purchase the property – will secure the long term future of the new co-operative. AFS was initially set up by seven ex-Remploy employees who invested their redundancy payments into the venture and now employs seventeen former Remploy workers.
Economy Minister Edwina Hart said:” The Welsh Government was approached by ex-Remploy workers for assistance to secure premises for their social enterprise and I am delighted the acquisition and subsequent lease to AFS has now been completed.
“AFS was previously operating from the site under a temporary agreement and now has long term security which is essential for any enterprise to grow.
“I visited AFS earlier this year at the launch of the Welsh Co-operative and Mutuals Commission report which documents the contribution that co-operatives and mutuals make to the economy. It is therefore particularly pleasing to be able to support AFS’s growth plans.
“AFS is creating employment opportunities for ex-Remploy employees and others which will benefit the local economy and ensure the skills base is retained in the area.”
The 54,300 sq ft facility is set within a 4.7 acre site on Swansea West Industrial Estate with room for expansion.
General manager Kevin Edwards said: “ We are indebted to the Welsh Government for acquiring and leasing this particular facility to us – without this support we would not have been able to proceed.
“The factory was already equipped with a large extraction system which is essential for working with wood – if we had to set up elsewhere we would not have been able to afford to invest in a similar system.
“The business is doing well, we are supplying furniture for some social housing projects in Swansea, have a number of other prospects in the pipeline and working with a number of our former customers and our business plan is on target to employ 25 people by year three.”
The business specialises in the manufactures and assembly of furniture for the NHS, care homes, social housing and student accommodation as well as bespoke furniture and laboratories for schools, colleges and universities. ASF is already supplying Swansea Council with some items of furniture which has enabled the company to create four jobs.
AFS has also received funding from the Welsh Government Employer Support Grant scheme which offers financial support for employers looking to offer suitable and sustainable employment to displaced Remploy workers in Wales.
In addition through the Welsh Government’s Digital Inclusion Programme, Communities 2.0, it has received advice and support to exploit and adopt technology. Support has included funding towards office IT equipment, high end 3D Computer Aided Design and production management software to assist in the start-up.
Support has also come from Collaborative Communities which has funded the employment of a Business Development Manager, a Luton van to allow the company to deliver their product and have also funded signage at the site and work wear with the company name for employees.