Teacher moves from classroom to sweet shop
RESIDENTS of the well-heeled Cheshire village of Alderley Edge can enjoy traditional sweets such as bon bons and sherbet lemons following the opening of a new sweet shop in the town.
IT teacher Judy O’Brien has opened a branch of the Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe franchise on London Road after securing finance from Natwest Commercial Banking.
O’Brien, who had previously run her own florist’s business, is now following in the footsteps of her late father Harry Jackson, who owned several shops in during the 1960s including a confectioners in Alderley Edge.
Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe is a franchise business that was formed in 2004 and now has more than 100 franchises in the UK and Ireland. Each shop serves numerous varieties of traditional sweets from yesteryear in Victorian-style surroundings.
She said: “I have very fond memories of visiting a sweet shop when I was a child and I am sure that most parents will have had similar memories. I want to try and recreate this feeling of excitement for today’s children.
“Since opening we have had a great response from all parts of the local community from youngsters to grandparents visiting the shop.”
Claire Mason, relationship manager for NatWest, said: “Judy produced a very thorough business plan and it is clear that she has spent a great deal of time and effort assessing this business model.”
