CELEBRATING 50 YEARS AS Welsh culture shop EXPANDS IN CARMARTHENSHIRE

There’s exciting news bubbling away in the Highly head house. We’ve just agreed on a collaboration with a brand new client who we’re really excited about! Siop Y Pentan have officially set foot into the Highly hierarchy, and we want to tell you all about the Welsh business and what their collaboration with us means for their bright future. With Highly’s Head of Marketing, Gwenllian Davies, on the case, with her many years experience in marketing and branding for some of Wales’s biggest creative agencies, it’s only up from here for Siop Pen Y Tan, and we can’t wait to see how far it takes them!

So, first a little bit of background on what Siop Y Pentan are all about. Their journey officially started fifty years ago, when three friends started a Welsh cultural shop in Carmarthen. Thirty-five years later, and current owner Brieg Dafydd’s dad acquired the business, later passing it onto Brieg when he purchased it from his father eighteen years later. Their purpose, which we love, is to “Celebrate, promote and protect the identity of Welsh culture & language.” We love to see a brand who wants to make a big difference, and Siop Y Pentan exhibits a really clear purpose to make a change. All they need is some help getting there. That’s why we wanted to partner with them. 

It also turns out that Siop Y Pentan has a little history with Highly already. See, back in 2019 (ah, those halcyon pre-covid days!) HSBC asked Highly head honcho Dan Patterson to give a branding talk on how to market an unforgettable brand in Carmarthen as part of a small business workshop on the back of a talk Dan had given in the past, which had attracted a lot of attention and favourable responses. It turns out, Brieg was there as an audience member. Fast forward to now, and Siop Y Pentan are celebrating their 50th anniversary! And, along with that golden anniversary, they have been deservedly met with increasing online sales (a whopping 40% rise) coming from Llanelli. It was obvious then that Siop Y Pentan should look to expand and open a second store in Llanelli. They just needed a bit of branding and creative help to get the word out there and to allow the expansion to be as smooth and as successful as possible, whilst increasing foot traffic in front of their new Llanelli store. Luckily Brieg remembered Dan from that aforementioned talk in Carmarthen and got in touch to get the collaboration underway. 

Although Siop Y Pentan are, as of now, a small business, what they lack in size, they more than make up for in ambition. That’s what we love to see. We’ve spoken with them about their long-term goals and mission, and we liked what we heard. The business is looking to corner the Carmarthenshire market for Welsh books, cards, and gifts. Naturally, they also spoke with us about increasing online sales, which will be an important part of their expansion and their brand recognition. But in the physical realm of the real world, with the business already well established in Carmarthenshire, the biggest focus right now will be on the new Llanelli store. Ultimately the goal is to become a one stop shop for Welsh homeware, gifts, national costume, tourism; a business that caters to and partners with Welsh brands in an effort to showcase what Wales have to offer. Siop Y Pentan hopes to be a delectable slice of the Welsh experience. With our help, we think they have the right attitude to achieve that. 

So far we’ve helped Siop Y Pentan work on their brand strategy, outlining their brand foundations, such as their core values, their audience, the brand’s priorities and long-term goals, their brand positioning, their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, the competition, their brand persona, brand proposition and their brand promise. This will ultimately be the most important step in determining their brand strategy to give them an accurate picture of what their projection and goals should look like. This stage will also shape what the brand’s identity and voice will be going forward. We’re already seeing something special coming together. 

We’re glad that Siop Y Pentan has put their trust in us. After all, we’re already a perfect fit for them. Taking in our varied experience with bilingual projects (from Coleg Sir Gar, to Ymdaith), our vast expertise in working with local Welsh and small businesses, and our track record for high standards, we think that Siop Y Pentan have made the right decision in choosing to partner with us and we couldn’t be happier about that.

If you want to check out Siop Y Pentan (and we think you definitely should!) then head to their website now: https://en.siopypentan.co.uk/ or visit their shop in Carmarthen and Llanelli.