A business which has been trading in Newport since 1873 has opened its first shop in the city for about 100 years.

Newport's mayor, Councillor Matthew Evans, was on hand at the offices of John Liscombe Ltd on the Felnex Trading Estate, Newport, to open its new workwear retail and trade shop.

The former Liscombe shop was on Commercial Street and was trading in the early 1900s.

Cllr Evans officially opened the shop with a ribbon cutting ceremony and was then given a guided tour by the joint managing directors, Stephen and Richard Morris.

After the shop opening ceremony, the Mayor was presented with a cheque for £750 towards the Mayor’s Charities, The Teenage Cancer Trust and The Sea Cadets.

The money was raised by the staff as part of a ‘Jeans Friday’ collection.

John Liscombe Limited was established in Newport in 1873, when John Liscombe, then aged 23, and from Somerset, opened his saddlery shop in Llanarth Street, Newport.

A few years later he took over an old established leather business in Commercial Street (on the site of the old Marks and Spencer's store). He was also contracted by Monmouthshire colliery companies for the repair and maintenance of the harnesses used by the pit ponies.

He was elected to Newport Town Council in 1892 and was mayor in 1906.

The Mansion House, currently the city's register office, in Stow Park Circle, formerly the Mayor’s official residence, was actually built by John Liscombe as his home.

The Morris family, current owners of the company began their connection when Albert Morris joined in 1906 soon to be general manager and eventually managing director in 1916. His son Cyril joined in 1920, becoming the driving force that would see the firm's transition from saddlery to glove manufacturing. The purchase of the company from the Liscombe family was completed in 1934.

Roger Morris (the current chairman), Cyril’s son, joined the company in 1952 and took the company from a purely glove manufacturing company, to the complete personal protective equipment distribution company that it is today. Roger Morris started the importing of gloves from the Far East in 1966 which complemented the specialist gloves made in the Liscombe factory.

His sons, Stephen and Richard Morris, joined the company in the 1980s and are now the current joint managing directors.

Today the Liscombe team numbers more than 100 and it operates from a 70,000 sq ft central distribution centre on the Felnex Trading Estate.

It is still known as one of the UK’s leading industrial leather glove manufacturers.

The new shop is open to the business community, traders and the public and will stock a wide range of workwear, footwear, PPE and clothing.