CONSORT EQUIPMENT PRODUCTS – one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of electric heaters – has been acquired by family-owned investment firm Lifeboat Capital. The deal was backed by a seven-figure debt funding package from Frontier Development Capital (FDC) and other investors.

Consort, which is based in Milford Haven, supplies heaters to electrical wholesalers nationwide under the Consort and Claudgen brands, and manufactures own-brand products for leading suppliers. Following the acquisition, the current management team headed by Managing Director, Gareth Davies, will continue to lead the growth of the business.

The deal will enable the former Managing Director, Edward Spankie, and Materials Director, Chris Baggs, to realise their investment in the business though they will continue in a consultancy role. It will also provide additional investment to fund the growth of the business.

Established in 1966, Consort employs over 70 staff and manufactures over 250 product lines ranging from fan and panel heaters to air curtains and towel rails. The company has invested heavily in its modern 90,000 sq ft factory in Milford Haven and regularly introduces new products, with recent additions including wi-fi enabled heaters controlled by a mobile app.

The acquisition is the third to date by Lifeboat Capital, which was founded in 2019 and is the family office of the Afshar family. Lifeboat – which focuses on long-term investments in niche, high-quality UK businesses – also owns Southend-based Formara Print & Marketing and Oldham-based stockinette manufacturer Appletex.

Dr Taha Afshar, Chief Investment Officer at Lifeboat, said: “Lifeboat is committed to strengthening British manufacturing businesses and supporting the transition to a low-carbon future. With its efficient electric heating solutions and a track record for quality and innovation, Consort aligns strongly with our values and goals. The company will continue to operate as an independent business, and with the benefit of additional investment to support its long-term growth. Our vision is to be the definitive choice for sustainable, reliable and innovative electric heating.”

Graham Mold, Head of Growth Capital at Frontier Development Capital, added: “Consort has been manufacturing in Milford Haven since 1966 and is one of the best-known brands in the market. This deal will ensure a smooth transition of ownership and secure the future of the business.  With Lifeboat’s support, Consort is embarking on a new chapter on its growth journey and is positioned to go from strength to strength.”

Industry warns 100m buffer and added approvals will pile pressure on rural locals already fighting closures

PUBS across Wales are warning of a fresh hit to their finances after changes to planning rules threaten to shut down one of the most profitable summer side lines available to rural venues: temporary pop up campsites.

Under revised Permitted Development Rights (PDR), landowners will be allowed to operate temporary campsites for up to 60 days a year, an increase on the current 28 day allowance. But the new rules also introduce restrictions campaigners say will disadvantage pubs, particularly those in villages where a small field beside a pub can make the difference between surviving the winter or shutting for good.

At the centre of the controversy is a new 100 metre exclusion zone around a “protected building”, described as a dwelling not occupied by the landowner or campsite operator, which critics say will effectively prevent many pubs from hosting campers at all.

Dan Yates, founder of outdoor accommodation platform Pitchup.com, said the Welsh changes risk “hammering the final nail into the coffin” of rural pubs.

He said: “The new so called permitted development rights are riddled with restrictions that make running pop up campsites harder, not easier. Restrictions which were not thought necessary in the 78 years since the rights were first introduced.

“But it is pubs that will be really disadvantaged once it comes into force.

“The 100m exclusion zone essentially bans them from setting up temporary campsites, which in the summertime can mean the difference between going out of business and surviving another year.”

Residents’ concerns and local control

Supporters of tighter controls argue that unregulated or poorly managed temporary sites can cause problems for neighbours, including traffic, noise, waste and pressure on local services, and that new safeguards are intended to address concerns raised by residents.

The Welsh Government has said changes to permitted development rights are designed to balance rural enterprise and tourism with the need to protect communities and the environment, particularly in sensitive areas.

The new approach also introduces an approval requirement in Wales, meaning operators may need to obtain local authority sign off rather than simply proceed. Critics say this adds bureaucracy, while supporters view it as a necessary check to ensure issues like access, drainage, waste disposal and site management are properly considered.

Planning delays “too slow for summer trade”

Mr Yates warned that forcing publicans to seek planning permission could make the income stream unusable in practice, because approvals can take months and pubs need to plan well ahead for summer trade.

He said planning authorities in Wales were already struggling to meet statutory deadlines, meaning pubs applying now could miss the key season.

He said: “Even if they applied today, it is unlikely they will get permission in time for the summer season. This is going to put many pubs at serious risk of going bust.”

How much pop up camping can earn

The row comes as pubs face rising costs from staffing and utilities to wider tax and regulatory pressures, while footfall in many rural areas remains highly seasonal.

Pitchup.com says pop up campsites can generate thousands of pounds in extra revenue in a short window, helping venues stay afloat. The platform claims its top performing pub campsite earned £93,706 in 2025, with other leading sites taking £84,267 and £62,939.

Outside Wales, some publicans say the model has transformed takings.

Morris and Gwyn Fenton, who run the Grade II listed Red Lion in Brinkley, Cambridgeshire, said their campsite brought customers who also spent in the pub.

Morris said: “We’ve found 50% plus of campers spend around £100 in our bar and restaurant and for a small country pub that’s significant.

“It’s been a great thing to try, and an incredibly enjoyable thing to do for us, personally.

“We really enjoyed meeting the people that we have stay with us.”

Visitor economy warning

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) said temporary campsites help pubs diversify while supporting local tourism, keeping spend in communities rather than driving visitors into bigger centres.

Molly Davis, Head of Communications at the BII, said: “Pubs deliver so many opportunities for people to come together, connect and spend time with each other, and combining that with camping holidays offers the perfect way for families and friends to get away from it all.

“At a time where pubs are doing all they can to diversify their offer and provide brilliant services for their locals and visitors alike, the bureaucracy of these changes is incredibly frustrating.”

She added: “Temporary campsites offer the perfect solution for the visitor economy, keeping tourism local, and benefitting communities all at the same time, but without the flexibility for pubs to be able to offer this for just 2 months of the year, the pub’s existence will be threatened for generations to come. Common sense needs to be applied, to stop additional administration for local authorities, and to give rural pubs the chance they need to thrive.”

Wider backdrop in protected areas

The debate is playing out against a wider Welsh push to manage the impact of temporary camping, particularly in protected landscapes where councils and national park authorities have faced complaints about overcrowding, waste and environmental damage.

In Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the planning authority has already taken steps to tighten rules on 28 day camping, caravan and mobile home sites inside the park, requiring planning permission from January 1, 2026.

Critics argue the combined effect of buffers, approvals and tighter controls risks undermining the point of permitted development, while supporters say stronger safeguards are needed to prevent harm and disruption.

For pubs, the fear is immediate: that a rule presented as an expansion of opportunity will, in practice, remove one of the few realistic ways rural venues can boost income quickly just as another difficult trading year looms.

PLANS to expand the facilities offered by a Pembrokeshire seaside town pub, which was once a toyshop, have been submitted to the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, The Old Town Crier Pub Ltd, through agent Argent Architects, seeks permission for the installation of a retractable canopy to The Town Crier Pub, 3-4 Upper Frog Street, Tenby’s rear courtyard.

A supporting statement says the scheme for the pub, in Tenby town centre, with a rear boundary on the town’s Grade-I-listed 13th century town wall, “makes a positive contribution to the site, adding an elegant structure, which remains sensitive to the host building and the historic town wall”.

It adds: “The solution is practical and efficient and will enhance the enjoyment of the site.”

A heritage statement accompanying the application says the walls date to the 13th century, replacing earlier wood and earth fortifications, with “significant raising and thickening ordered by Jasper Tudor in 1457 and repairs in 1588 (due to the threat of the Spanish Armada),” visible in the masonry. Different building techniques and materials for different eras can be observed in the wall’s structure.

It says they “were initially built in the 13th century by the Earls of Pembroke, likely in response to the town being sacked by the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1260”.

The application adds: “The proposals are limited to the private realm of the premises’ courtyard, and do not touch the town wall.  The experience of the town wall from the public realm will remain unchanged.  There is no perceived impact on the historic town wall arising from the proposals.”

The application will be considered by park planners at a later date.

The pub opened in July 2024 and since then, Tripadviser reviews have thanked the business for serving a range of drinks, being dog-friendly and having helpful staff.

The Upper Frog Street site of the Town Crier was formerly the Clarice Toys toy and novelty shop, and is called the Town Crier in tribute to the late John ‘Yobbler’ Thomas, a former proprietor of the shop and a former town crier of Tenby.

John Thomas served as Tenby’s town crier for more than 30 years, and was responsible for bringing four national crier contests to Tenby.

John and wife Caroline, who would become a councillor and serve as mayor in the town, set up Clarice Toys in Tenby’s Upper Frog Street after their marriage in 1961, with the business being later run by their son and daughter, Ian and Kerri.