Six pictures which sum up the year in business

The biggest thing which has happened in Newport for decades happened on November 12, 2015, when thousands of people gathered to witness the ribbon cutting on the opening of the £90m retail and leisure development, Friars Walk, in Newport city centre. More than 100,000 people visited on its first day of trading to sample the delights of Debenhams, Next, Cineworld and more which have provided a welcome boost to the city centre.

But it’s not all about Friars Walk in Newport. The city has also seen a number of independent restaurants, pubs and other businesses opening up over the year. One of them is Slipping Jimmy’s on High Street, which is hoping to bring the spirit of the popular music venue TJ's back to the city. Steve Reynolds, owner of Slipping Jimmy’s tunes up with Fiona Weaver, of Hutchings and Thomas Chartered Surveyors, outside the new restaurant on High Street, Newport.

Away from Newport business was also being done. One new starter was Castles Brewery, in Portskewett, which is run by the the Micic family. Nathan Micic said the brewery has recently increased its production and expansion is on the horizon. It has also opened a shop next to the brewery. Pictured are Andy Morris, of UK Steel Enterprise, which has lent support to the enterprise, with Mike and Nathan Micic.

Outsourced services specialist Smart Solutions, which is based in Newport, launched a new division dedicated to working with businesses in the building sector, and appointed a managing director to drive it forward, reflecting the upturn in the construction industry. Chris Raybould, pictured, joined Smart Solutions with more than 10 years’ experience in helping to grow organisations to achieve domestic and international expansion. The building services division has won a number of new contracts including R&M Williams, Cuddy Construction and the labour management contract for the £325m development project in Ebbw Vale, the Circuit of Wales.

There was good news when the former Tata Steel plant in Wattsville, Crosskeys, got a new resident when Capital Coated Steel moved in. The firm had invested £3.5m in the site on the North Blackvein Industrial Estate, including an extensive refurbishment, to turn the former steel works into its new headquarters and production base. Gary Hunt, managing director at Capital Coated Steel Ltd, pictured, said: “We’re delighted to finally be able to move the whole team into our new headquarters and to call Crosskeys our home. Our new site will allow us to expand as it significantly increases our capacity, so we can meet the growing worldwide demand for our products.”

Showing that there is confidence out there St Modwen embarked on a 48,149sq ft speculative warehousing/industrial unit at the 100-acre Celtic Business Park development close to it’s Glan Llyn housing development on the former Llanwern Steelworks site on the edge of Newport. Pete Davies, senior development manager for St Modwen, said: “The speculative unit we are delivering at Celtic Business Park is the first building under way at the site. It is the only unit of its size currently being built in the wider Newport area. Any businesses interested in rent or purchase opportunities should contact our agents Knight Frank or JLL.”