One of Newport's longest-established firms, AF Thomas & Sons Ltd, has moved into new premises at Mendalgief Retail Park in the city and has taken on five new members of staff due to the expansion.

Managing director of the firm, Andrew Thomas, said: "We have been in business for 83 years. It was established by my grandfather Albert Frederick Thomas in 1932. He was an electrician on Newport dock but loved to assemble radios. He was awarded the Kings medal in 1931 for his involvement in the invention of sonar and he had £100 which he used to start the business in Pill.

"The business flourished and it developed into selling TV and then white goods along with bikes and prams. In 1970 it expanded into Chepstow Road and then again in 1992 in Abergavenny.

"The demise of passing trade in the Pill area has forced us to look to greener pastures. I wanted to be on a retail park, unfortunately the old Comet store was too big and too expensive but when Dreams decided to close its store on Mendalgief Retail Park, it was just right for us."

Mr Thomas said: "Newport has changed a lot over the years. Our business used to be on the main road from the docks which was the life line of the city but more recently the area has seen a decline.

"There is lots of positive things happening in Newport now and I think local people want to support local retailers if those retailers have something good to offer those customers. With a much bigger store which has been fitted to a high standard offering a wider range of products in the right location, I think AF Thomas really has something excellent to offer local customers, new and old.

"The internet has been a real problem in recent years but I genuinely think people don't want to buy online but are drawn to cheap prices. We are going to offer a deal matching service where we will endeavour to match the best deal online, this coupled with our famous customer service means we will have a winning combination.

"Our USP is service. We go the extra mile for customers. We also have dedicated manufacturer areas within the store making our product range second to none in South Wales.

"We are having our grand launch on the May bank holiday weekend on May 2/3/4 where we will have a celebrity cook doing some cookery demonstrations along with some fantastic, not-to-be missed money saving offers for that weekend."