02/08/2026
Use Them or Lose Them: Pembrokeshire's Independent Shops Need Support, but Shoppers Need Reliability
Independent retailers help give Pembrokeshire's towns their character. They offer local produce, specialist knowledge, original gifts, Welsh art and products that are not repeated in every retail park from here to Aberdeen.
There are plenty of reasons to make a day of shopping locally. Haverfordwest combines its farmers' market with independent shops, cafés and galleries. Narberth has built a strong reputation for art, food, antiques and fashion. Fishguard and Goodwick offer family businesses, markets and work by local artists, while Milford Waterfront brings independent shopping together with food, heritage and harbour views.
Tenby, St Davids, Newport, Saundersfoot, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock all have retailers offering something different from the standard chain-store experience. You can speak to somebody who knows the product, ask for advice and often have something ordered especially for you.
This is not simply nostalgia for the high street. Pembrokeshire's visitor economy was valued at £634 million in 2024, attracting 5.7 million visits and supporting an estimated 12,000 to 13,000 jobs. Some 99 per cent of its tourism-related businesses are micro-businesses.
Shopping is only one part of that economy, but independent retailers give residents and visitors somewhere distinctive to spend. They also support local makers, producers, tradespeople and suppliers.
Local shops can provide services that go well beyond the till. Tenby Stores and Post Office, for example, employs local people, stocks food from nearby suppliers, provides banking and parcel services, delivers to vulnerable customers, supports charities and has helped fund a community defibrillator.
The condition of Pembrokeshire's high streets is not uniform. Vacant retail floor space across Tenby, St Davids, Newport and Saundersfoot fell overall during 2024-25. However, the latest available county council survey found more difficult conditions in Haverfordwest, Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Pembroke.
Behind every empty shop is the loss of more than one business. Fewer shops mean fewer reasons to visit, which reduces footfall for everybody who remains. Decline can become a rather grim self-fulfilling prophecy.
Opening hours: support works both ways
A check of published opening hours shows how widely arrangements vary. Some established independent shops open six or seven days a week. Others trade for five shorter days, four days or just three four-hour sessions.
Different hours are not automatically a problem. Many independent shops are run by one person or a small family team. Illness, caring responsibilities, bad weather or an urgent delivery problem can leave nobody available to cover. They cannot summon another member of staff from head office because, inconveniently, they are head office.
There is no published county-wide count of same-day retail closures, so it would be unfair to suggest that every independent shop shuts whenever the mood takes it.
However, short-notice closures and inaccurate online hours do have consequences.
In a rural county, customers may have driven some distance, paid for parking or arranged their visit around a bus. A locked door does not only lose one sale. It can reduce confidence in making another journey and take footfall away from neighbouring businesses.
People who work during normal shop hours face another obstacle. If they cannot visit before closing time, they are likely to shop online or use an out-of-town retail park with longer and more predictable hours.
That does not mean every independent retailer must open seven days a week. Shorter, dependable hours are better than longer fictional ones.
Businesses can help by keeping their website, Google listing and social-media pages consistent. Seasonal hours should be clear, and unavoidable closures should be announced across every channel as early as possible. A Facebook story alone may not reach somebody who checked Google before setting off.
Town-centre businesses could also coordinate common core hours, market-day opening and occasional evening shopping. Staying open later on one useful day may serve customers better than opening early on several quiet mornings.
Customers also have a part to play. Visit town centres deliberately, combine shopping with lunch, a market or a gallery, and ask whether an independent can order something before automatically buying it online.
Recommend good service, share local businesses' posts and consider independent shops when buying presents. Even shifting a small part of regular spending locally can help.
If a shop closes once because somebody is ill, a little patience is reasonable. If you are making a long journey, checking the latest update or telephoning first may save a wasted trip.
Supporting local should not be a guilt trip or an act of charity. It is a practical relationship. Customers offer their money, loyalty and recommendations. Retailers offer choice, knowledge, service and reliability.
Pembrokeshire does not need every town centre to become a smaller copy of the nearest retail park. It needs independent shops worth visiting, and customers who can be reasonably confident that the door will be open when they arrive.
