Broadband boost for expanding Shrewsbury business

Gwaza Ltd will soon become the first business in the area to benefit from a dedicated grant, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Shropshire Council.

The grant from the Marches and Gloucestershire Broadband Grant scheme will provide Gwaza with access to ultrafast broadband.

Gwaza was founded by John Price in 1967 primarily as an electric fencing manufacturer, known as Salop Fencing Ltd.

The company expanded into gate and general steel fabrication serving the agricultural, automotive and industrial sectors. As their distribution into the aftermarket for engineers, agricultural dealers and retailers developed, the company was re-branded as Gwaza Ltd.

Gwaza Ltd's managing director, Victor Edwards, said: "In recent years Gwaza has invested heavily in technology to streamline and expand our business. We have our own B2B website, catalogue, product information, and ordering portal, providing web shops and ordering portals for a small number of dealers.

“We are trialling remote warehouses in Europe, operated by our dealers. The dealers also utilise online systems to manage stock, process orders, request deliveries, so our broadband infrastructure is crucial.

“To accommodate the increased level of order fulfilment, Gwaza anticipates hiring additional staff once the new systems are embedded and new customers are attracted.

"In time, Gwaza anticipates needing to invest further in their warehouse and packing facilities to accommodate the increase in demand.”

The Marches and Gloucestershire Broadband Grant gives eligible businesses up to £25,000 to fund the installation of a superfast broadband connection.

Business which cannot access speeds of over 30Mbps and are not already part of any current superfast broadband rollout plans could be eligible for a grant.

Businesses wishing to find out more can visit connectingshropshire.co.uk/business-broadband-grant

All applications for the grant must be completed before December 2018.