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Bira warns of 'troubled times ahead' despite interest rate cut

7 Feb 2025

ACT parent company Bira has warned that retailers across Britain face troubled times ahead despite today's Bank of England interest rate cut to 4.5%, as the Bank halves its growth forecast for... Read more…

Free webinar exclusive to ACT members on employment law compliance

4 Feb 2025

The ACT and legal partner WorkNest are hosting an exclusive webinar on how to remain compliant with employment law while making necessary business changes.
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ACT parent company Bira urges Government action as December sales disappoint

23 Jan 2025

ACT parent company Bira is calling for urgent government intervention following disappointing December retail figures, which show sales volumes fell by 0.3% following a modest 0.1% rise in... Read more…

ACT announces new partnership with legal specialists WorkNest

17 Jan 2025

The ACT has teamed up with employment law, HR, and health and safety experts WorkNest as the association's new legal partner.
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Bira comments after BRC release Sensormatic IQ Footfall Monitor Report for December

9 Jan 2025

ACT parent company Bira has warned that disappointing footfall figures for December show mounting pressures on independent retailers, with concerning implications for 2025 as business costs... Read more…

2024 year in review: A message from ACT Director Jonathan Harrison

18 Dec 2024

Director of the ACT Jonathan Harrison has praised the "resilience and adaptability" of the ACT and its members in an end of year message.
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Practical steps to prevent credit card and payment fraud as an independent cycling retailer

4 Dec 2024

As credit card fraud becomes increasingly sophisticated, taking these steps could help you stay ahead of the fraudsters…
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Scottish retailers call for urgent business rates support as gap widens with rest of UK

29 Nov 2024

Scottish independent retailers, including those in the cycling sector, are urging the Scottish Government to provide crucial business rates relief in its upcoming budget, as the disparity in... Read more…

Bira and ACT welcome new House of Lords report on high street regeneration

28 Nov 2024

Independent retailers back call for local leadership and simplified funding.
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Seven-in-ten cycle traders boycott Black Friday as cost pressures mount

26 Nov 2024

Seven in ten cycle retailers across the UK will boycott this year's Black Friday sales event, according to a survey of the bicycle trade by the ACT.
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Town becomes hotspot for Taylor Swift fans with themed cafe and shop.

Posted on in Business News

Nestled in the Anglesey community of Beaumaris, a shop and café have built their business around all things Taylor Swift, and fans seem to love it. The Mock Turtle in Beaumaris, Anglesey has been visited by people from across the UK and the world after a TikTok video of the shop went viral.

Taylor Swift

The Mock Turtle - an Alice in Wonderland reference - sells Taylor Swift-inspired items. Meanwhile, the adjoining café, where they whip up a variety of Taylor Swift-themed foods and drinks including homemade cookies, is named 'August', a tribute to one of Taylor's popular songs.

Located just across from the Welsh seaside town's castle, the business has seen a surge in popularity in recent weeks after becoming a social media sensation. A TikTok creator shared a video showcasing the shop's interior, and since then, the business has become a must-visit for Taylor Swift fans not only in Wales, but across the UK and beyond.

"We had some people in from Germany the other day," owner Lotti Summers told WalesOnline. 

"I have tried to say people can go on the website to order things if they like but lots of people just want to visit and it's just become a destination in itself.

Lotti, who wasn't a big Taylor Swift fan until recently, initially started diversifying her business by incorporating Harry Styles merchandise.

However, when the Taylor Swift craze escalated about a year ago, she saw an opportunity to cater to Swifties with relevant memorabilia.

"There was a TikTok that was made, and it just went viral, so it's all been growing into a monster over the last few weeks, and we've had huge deliveries from the Netherlands and America. We also did an advert with the lady who made the TikTok who came in for afternoon tea and put it on Facebook and it just exploded, and we're only tiny but we are now able to employ about eight people."

Lotti, whose favourite Taylor Swift track is 'August' - also the name of her shop where they play Swift's music all day and sell various memorabilia, confessed: "I love her now. And everyone who works here is Taylor Swift obsessed as well. One of our girls in the coffee shop loves her loads and drives an hour to come and work here. And she makes great coffee too.

Lotti sources from local suppliers and bakers for her coffee shop and believes that it has helped uplift people's spirits when they visit. "Everyone just leaves with a massive smile on their face," she said.

"When people see the hand-painted Taylor Swift biscuits they get so excited and come in and buy them in the dozen, can't keep up. The cruise ships are in at the moment and when people come in, they are like; 'Taylor Swift? Here?' They just love it.

"When people come in, all they want to talk about is Taylor. All day the music's playing, and we've just had an artist come in and decorate the walls with a typewriter and the Christian Louboutin boots that she wears on stage and the whole place is full of drawings and artwork that have got Taylor on.

"Even the coffee cups have got Taylor on. And everyone that comes in is really sweet and they swap friendship bracelets with the staff and everything. I've not met a nasty Swiftie yet.

"I sold the company about two years ago, and we'd opened the shop just before I sold up. We came out of lockdown, and I was just sick of accountancy because I was doing like 80-hour weeks during lockdown.

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