Mobile Data to Help Shape Decision Making in Seaside Resort
Traders in a seaside town can benefit from data that will help shape decision-making and identify customer trends.
Driven by the Welsh Government-funded Smart Towns Wales project with the backing of Rhyl Neighbourhood Board, Menter Môn conducted a study of consumer statistics in the coastal resort, using BT Active Intelligence Data to track footfall and demographic information.
Delivered by High Street Data Advisor Medi Parry-Williams – founder of Making Places Work (MPW) – they focused on four sections of Rhyl: Vale Road, the town centre, the seafront and areas around the new Queen's Market on West Parade.
Medi hopes retailers and independent traders will utilise the information and capitalise on opportunities to learn more about their customers.
'The data can tell a town centre where people are coming from, how long they stay, give a profile of customers and provide businesses with pivotal information,' said Medi.
'Traders in Rhyl can contact us for more advice and support, where we can drill down into the detail and tell them who is visiting and when, what their busiest days and times are and more.
'It is an important investment by Smart Towns Wales which is invaluable to smaller independent businesses, so we hope they will make the most of it, to strategise for the future and help boost the town's economy.'
The data was recorded over a period of months including last December, when footfall in the town centre was at its highest each day between 11am and 3pm.
The 65+ and 25-34 years old age ranges were the most represented, with the majority in the 'low income' group, which would not include retirees.
International visitors on the days studied were primarily from India, Ireland, Nigeria, Malta and the Netherlands, and the high street experienced the most footfall, followed by Vale Road and the seafront.
Rhyl Neighbourhood Board and Smart Towns Wales will hold a workshop as part of the developing Ein Rhyl/Our Rhyl campaign, to be held at Costigan's Co-Working Space in Bodfor Street on Thursday July 17 from 6pm-8pm.
The event will bring together businesses to gauge their feedback and provide input into a £20 million regeneration strategy for Rhyl from the UK Government's Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, a 10-year vision for the town to help revitalise local areas and fight deprivation by zeroing in on three goals: thriving places, stronger communities, and taking back control.
Savills Director and the Board's Strategic Advisor Nick Bennett encouraged small businesses to be proactive in attending the event and utilising data that could benefit trade.
'Retailers and small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and now more than ever, they have the opportunity to thrive by leveraging one-to-one support, attending free local events, and making the most of data-driven insights into customer behaviour and footfall,' said Nick.
'These tools not only help businesses respond to current trends but also play a vital role in strengthening the local economy.
'When we support businesses to make more informed decisions, we lay the groundwork for sustainable regeneration and long-term prosperity across our high streets, so I hope we see lots of people at the event.'
To attend the free event on July 17, visit Eventbrite: Business Engagement Event / Digwyddiad Ymgysylltu Busnes Tickets, Thu, Jul 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
For more information or to book a free one-to-one consultation, email smarttowns@mentermon.com. To find out more about case studies delivered by the Smart Towns Wales team, visit: https://www.smarttowns.cymru/en/case-studies.
Take the Our Rhyl / Ein Rhyl survey here, giving your feedback and ideas for the strategy: English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ourRhyl. Welsh: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EinRhyl
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh startup hailed as the 'Rightmove for nurseries' raises £275k in pre-seed funding to transform UK nursery sector
Nuuri, a startup developing the UK's first search and enrolment platform for parents looking for nurseries, has raised £275,000 in pre-seed funding. The oversubscribed investment was raised in 90 days, four weeks quicker than anticipated. The tech startup is a Tech Scaler member, a Scottish Government-funded accelerator programme. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The investment marks a major step forward in the company's mission to simplify the search and enrolment process, allowing parents and caregivers to spend more quality time with their little ones. Nuuri will use the funding to accelerate product development, focusing on AI tooling that will replace outdated manual documents and communications channels. The funding will also be allocated to improve the parent journey through search and enrolment, nursery marketing and onboarding across the UK's private nursery sector initially. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hailed as 'The Rightmove for nurseries', Nuuri seamlessly allows parents to filter nurseries by postcode, preferred start date and age of child and includes features such as virtual nursery tours, room capacities, cost calculators, search filtering and an essential parent advice hub. Nuuri has everything parents need to make sure the process is as smooth and stress-free as possible. Steven Clarke, founder of Nuuri The advice hub answers all the common questions parents face when it comes to looking for a nursery. From how to apply for Government funding, to different types of nurseries, what to look for when searching for a nursery, how much they cost, and how to navigate lengthy waitlists. Nuuri conducted a parent survey across the UK, which revealed that over 79% of parents were put on a waiting list for a nursery place, with over 43% stating the waiting list was between 9-12 months long. Over 63% also outlined that they had a poor search and enrolment experience prior to securing a nursery place, stating lack of transparency and digitalisation as the main contributing factors. Nuuri isn't just for parents. The platform continues to work closely with nurseries to help them tackle one of their biggest challenges- pre-enrolment admin overload. By providing a modern digital shop-front, streamlining enrollment and communication, Nuuri is freeing up time for nursery staff to do what they do best - nurture and educate little ones. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Spearheaded by Steven Clarke, the Founder of Nuuri and a busy working dad. Steven has experienced firsthand the problem of finding a nursery for his child. From struggling to get through to nurseries, lack of information online, cancelled viewings and huge waiting lists, finding a place for his little girl was much more difficult than he could have ever imagined. Steven Clarke, founder of Nuuri Steven Clarke, Nuuri Founder and CEO, said:"In 2023, my wife and I experienced the complexities of finding a nursery for our newborn daughter. As first-time parents, we had no idea how hard and time-consuming looking for a nursery would be. I set out on a mission to tackle this problem head on and ensure the process is less stressful for future parents and caregivers. 'We're the UK's first platform to digitalise search and enrolment in one place, making life easier for both parents and nurseries. As a working parent, I fully understand the juggle. That's why we're here - to lighten the load and support parents at every step. 'We aim to make it as easy as possible for parents and nursery providers, so we have built a multi-purpose platform that makes it simple, transparent and reliable. I am excited to see our roadmap of enhanced features come to life over the next few months, fuelled by this external investment and backing." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nafeesah Rafiq, Owner of Bright Bees Nurseries in Leicester, said:'Nuuri is bringing the kind of digital experience our sector has waited far too long for. Their platform lets us showcase our nurseries online with a level of polish we could never manage alone, guiding parents smoothly from search to enrolment. By lifting the admin burden, Nuuri frees our team to spend more quality time nurturing the children in our care. We're thrilled to work with Steven and his team and excited about the positive change they're driving across early-years childcare.'
Business News Wales
2 hours ago
- Business News Wales
Tramshed Tech Swansea Expands with New Roles in Historic Palace Theatre
Eight months after opening its doors in Swansea's restored Palace Theatre building Tramshed Tech is creating jobs in the city. The coworking network and innovation hub, which launched its Swansea location in November 2024, is recruiting for three new positions. The refurbished 136-year-old landmark now includes five floors of workspace. The historic theatre stage has been transformed into an event space, while the ground floor Da coffee shop is open to the public. 'The response from Swansea's business community has been incredibly positive,' said Louise Harris, CEO at Tramshed Tech. 'We're building a strong foundation of members who truly value our flexible coworking, office space, meeting rooms, and event facilities. The Palace Theatre is becoming exactly the collaborative hub we envisioned – where Swansea's rich heritage meets its bright entrepreneurial future.' Now Tramshed Tech is recruiting for the following roles to support their expanding operations: Community Manager & Receptionist – A full-time position leading community engagement, member relations, and space management. The successful candidate will be instrumental in planning events, onboarding new members, and fostering the collaborative culture that defines Tramshed Tech. – A full-time position leading community engagement, member relations, and space management. The successful candidate will be instrumental in planning events, onboarding new members, and fostering the collaborative culture that defines Tramshed Tech. Community Executive & Receptionist – A full-time role serving as the 'face' of the business, providing exceptional customer service to members and visitors while supporting the community function that makes Tramshed Tech unique. – A full-time role serving as the 'face' of the business, providing exceptional customer service to members and visitors while supporting the community function that makes Tramshed Tech unique. Barista for Da Coffee Shop – A part-time position joining the independent coffee shop that celebrates community and collaboration, serving Coaltown coffee and locally sourced food to both Tramshed Tech members and the public. The Palace Theatre restoration, supported by £4.9 million from the Welsh Government, comes as Swansea Council is leading a £1 billion city regeneration plan. 'Tramshed Tech's rapid growth in the Palace Theatre demonstrates exactly what we hoped to achieve,' said council leader Rob Stewart. 'They've created a dynamic business environment that's attracting entrepreneurs and supporting local talent, while preserving this magnificent historical building for future generations.' Tramshed Tech also continues to deliver its award-winning business growth programmes, supporting tech, digital, and creative businesses throughout Wales. The Swansea location is hosting the 'Skills for Swansea' programme – offering free half-day digital skills training sessions funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for residents and workers aged 19 and over. These complimentary workshops cover skills including digital marketing fundamentals, programming foundations, AI applications, data handling, and enhanced digital tools. Founded in 2016, Tramshed Tech now has locations in Cardiff, Newport, Barry, and Swansea. All three positions are open for applications. Interested candidates should email their CV to swansea@
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Six university students drown while visiting mine in China
HONG KONG — Six students from a university in China drowned Wednesday after falling into a flotation tank while visiting a mine in the country's Inner Mongolia region. The students from Northeastern University in Liaoning province were observing the flotation process when a grid plate they were standing on suddenly gave way, causing them to fall into the tank, according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency. 'Despite rescue efforts, all six students were confirmed drowned after being pulled from the tank. One teacher was also injured,' Zhongjin Gold, a subsidiary of state-owned China National Gold Group that operates the mine, said in a company filing Thursday. Flotation tanks are used to separate different types of small mineral particles, said Richard Williams, principal and vice chancellor of Scotland-based Heriot-Watt University, who has a background in mineral engineering. Anyone who falls into the tank could pass through the thick foam on top 'and then find themselves in a mixed slurry or in contact with the mixer blades,' Williams said in emailed comments. 'These types of accidents are rare. But mine safety remains a global challenge due to the nature of the work,' he said. Zhongjin Gold, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, plunged at Thursday's open and ended the day down 4.41%. Calls to Northeastern University went unanswered on Thursday. The flotation workshop had been carrying out technical upgrade projects, including replacing floor grating panels on the second-level platform to address on-site safety risks, according to an article that China National Gold Group Inner Mongolia Mining Co. published in February on its official WeChat account. 'In 2024, the flotation workshop achieved zero safety, environmental, or occupational health incidents, meeting the 'zero accidents' safety goal,' the article said. Another article published in July 2020 described the flotation workshop during the summer as a 'giant steamer,' where workers were drenched in sweat. Both articles, which were viewed by NBC News, were deleted on Thursday afternoon after they were quoted by several media outlets. The accident has been a top discussion topic on social media in China, which is one of the world's top producers of many major minerals and has a long history of mine safety issues. In January 2024, the Chinese government said it was introducing strict measures to 'curb the frequent occurrence' of mining accidents. The previous year, there were 120 mine accidents in China resulting in more than 250 deaths, according to the country's official Mine Safety Accident Network.
