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| In this very rural region of south east Powys and north Monmouthshire. Abergavenny is the key central place. It serves a wide rural area as a market town with a major retail function. The Safeway superstore was built at Llanfoist in an out of town location beside a junction on the A465 Heads Of The Valleys road. The competitor stores would be in Brecon 20 miles (west), Monmouth 20 miles (east), Ebbw Vale 10 miles (south west), Hereford 20 miles (north), Cwmbran 10 miles south. The catchment area is considerable. | |
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It has key services like a general hospital at Nevill Hall and a major secondary school - one of two serving north Monmouthshire. These create professional jobs and many of these workers will commute from neighbouring more rural settlements i.e. villages. | |
| The traffic flow at the Hardwicke roundabout just east of Abergavenny (where the A465 meets the A40 meets the A4042) is always heavy especially during rush hours. This shows the significant amount of commuting that does occur in this rural area. this photo was taken about 9.30am on a typical weekday. |
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Abergavenny has a number of factories the biggest being Coopers Filters (motor parts) and the Turkey Processing factory. The turkey factory produces processed poultry meat and ties in with the local rural agricultural economy. The factory has been located here by the Hardwicke roundabout since the mid -1990s. The large car park indicates the scale of the workforce. the factory was originally part of Sun Valley foods - itself owned by the American Cargill corporation - the largest privately owned company in the world. | |
| Abergavenny has smaller factory units including Abergavenny fine Foods who make specialist cheeses such as Y Fenni. Again this ties in with the agricultural economy but also shows the move towards specialist and quality foodstuffs for a tourist and more widespread market. The town and the Brecon Beacons National Park organise Food Festivals marketing local produce. About 97% of businesses located in Monmouthshire employ fewer than 25 people, with the great majority (92.2%) employing less than 10 people. | |
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On the edge of Abergavenny is the Sugar Loaf vineyard which shows farm diversifiaction but also from in-migrants who were not local farmers initially. The venture relies on tourist tarde as well as being a specialist marketing point for the growing 'Taste of Wales' initiative. the vineyard lies on the south facing slopes of the popular Sugar Loaf hill which lies just inside the National Park. | |
| These are the vines growing in early June. Abergavenny has a railway line as well as a good road network , and this further increases its value as a dormitory commuter settlementas well as being the local service centre to this whole area. This page has demonstrated some of its employment opportunities and changes. | |
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