Fast Facts About Trowbridge Business

• A new £180,000 refurbishment of Trowbridge Railway Station was announced by First Great Western in October 2006. At the time the company stated that "Trowbridge is easily the busiest station between Bath and Southampton and it features high on our station investment list". It was reported that over half a million people used the Trowbridge station over the last year.
  
• 28 June 2006 saw apetito win the title of West of England Business of the Year at a ceremony held in Bristol.  Entrants were judged on a range of factors including product innovation, financial performancem training anf contribution to the region.
  
• In July 2006 it became apparent that over 30 major high street stores were looking to help transform Trowbridge as a shopping centre. Stores included BHS, Debenhams, Next and Laura Ashley.  The National online register claimed that 33 retail chains were interested in moving to the town, hopefully in one of the large modern retail developments which were in the pipeline.
  
• The Marks & Spencer Simply Food store in the Shires Shopping Centre was opened in late June 2006. The branch of the major high street company stocks over 2,000 products from fresh food and ready made meals to snacks, flowers and wine.  More than 50 jobs are being created as a result of M & S moving to the site, formerly the Iceland store, and there are high hopes that other big name retailers could follow the company to the County Town. 
  
• In 2006 M & P  Steelcraft in Hilperton, Nr Trowbridge were approached by the BBC show Top Gear to convert an old VW Camper into an amphibious vehicle which Top Gear present Richard Hammond would then race against his co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May.  Despite major mechanical problems the van was finally converted into a Van-cum-narrow boat, beautifully painted in the traditional barge manner (complete with bargework roses), both outside and in.  The vehicle then had to make its way to a lake in Staffordshire to compete against two other converted vehicles.  This was televised in a Top Gear programme in May 2006. 
  
• In early 2006 it was announced that Marks and Spencers would be taking over the Iceland store in The Shires in March. The new M & S store, to be called “Simply Food” would be selling fresh produce, sandwiches, wine as well as basic groceries. The new store would open sometime between June and August 2006. This takeover of an existing Iceland store by M & S is limited to only to three selected towns in our region, Trowbridge, Cirencester and Devizes.
  
• In January 2006 it was announced that the Monsoon clothes store, which had arrived in Trowbridge just over a year ago, was to increase its sale floor by expanding upstairs.
  
• Standard Life, the owners of Trowbridge Retail Park has commissioned architects to revamp the Park. Three of the retail units would be extended at the back of the park while the walkway at the front would be redesigned. All the retail units would be given new exteriors, with glass frontages and more prominent advertising signs.
  
• Part of the plan includes space for a stand-alone restaurant. Pizza Hut have expressed interest in moving to the site.
  
• In July 2005 Lidl supermarket undertook a large re-development, which expanding its floor space from 1,190 to 1,513 square metres.
  
• The multi-million pound Meridian Motor Park Project on the outskirts of Trowbridge opened in 2005 is the first multi-franchise motor trade business park developed by a single company in this area. The Renrod Group have worked with dealer development teams from Renault, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall in order to conceive and shape this concept.
  
• The design team saw the site as a shop window for the entrance to the White Horse Business Park and a gateway to Trowbridge. Integrated into the design concept of the entire development was the incorporation of environmental and green features, the aim being a highly energy efficient and environmentally friendly series of buildings.
  
• It is intended that phase two will consist of a PDI/preparation centre/valet facility, with office accommodation above. A “phase three” is also possible which may see the construction of state-of-the-art head office facilities for the Renrod Group.
  
• In April 2005 Airsprung launched a new state-of-the-art innovative Springmaster collection, featuring the Perfect Partner which offers varying levels of comfort within one mattress, at the Birmingham Furniture Show. The new products were well received by buyers.
  
• In 2005 it was announced that Cereal Partners would be taking over much of the plant left vacant by Nestle. The company Cereal Partners is a 50:50 joint venture between Nestlé and the American food giant General Mills. The UK was the first market that Cereal Partners entered by purchasing the well-established brands Shredded Wheat and Shreddies. All Cereal Partners' breakfast cereals are marketed under the Nestlé brand name and many are produced at its Staverton plant.
  
• In April 2005 apetito was awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2005 in recognition of continuous innovation in the home delivery of food to the elderly.
  





• Apetito also won the Bath Chronicle 2005 Business Innovation Award. The food firm took the innovation award after last year being named Business of the Year.
  
• The Consortium was the 2005 winner of Supplier of the Year in the National Education Resources Awards.