Sweetness and plight
THERE is no doubt the high street has changed over the past few years, but of late it appears that as the big fashion and electrical names have moved out, giant sweet shops have moved in.
When I say sweet shops I don’t mean the kind where you ask a woman wearing a pinny behind a counter for a quarter of pear drops from a jar.
These are vast emporia of candy, fizzy drinks and chocolate.
Floor-to ceiling sugar palaces with wares – mostly imported from America – wrapped in super-bright packaging.
On a visit to London recently I counted seven on Oxford Street alone, but they’re popping up in towns and cities across the UK, often pumping artificial scents of gloopy sweetness out into the street to entice youngsters inside.
A bit like the Childcatcher but with more bubblegum.
Because make no mistake about it – it’s the kids who form a big part of their target market.
After all, if you are nine and partial to a lollipop why wouldn’t you want to visit these places?
And if you are mum or dad, then where’s the harm? These places might be home to vast quantities of colourants but they also contain the stuff of dreams.
It’s all about treats, isn’t it? Whether you’re a child or a grownup.
When things are grim – and let’s face it, 2021 hasn’t been a laugh a minute – we all want to gift ourselves or our loved ones a little something.
They call it “the lipstick effect”; those small pick-me-ups that don’t cost a fortune but in the face of a grey December day, with masks back on and bills to pay, they make you feel better.
A week in the sun or a meal out will perform the same function but a gob-stopper is a whole lot cheaper.
With more and more vacant retail space becoming available on the high street then it’s little wonder these candy castles are taking advantage.
But hang on a moment. As a nation I thought we were supposed to be reducing sugar in our collective diets?
According to NHS figures one in four children aged 10-11 is now classed as obese. Tooth decay in young children remains a problem and Type 2 diabetes in adults is a huge and growing issue.
In the face of all this, is the proliferation of sweet superstores really a good thing?
I wouldn’t mind betting – London aside – that a disproportionate number of these giant sweet shops have opened in less well off areas where the economic pinch is sharpest and the need for cheap little luxuries all the greater.
I’m no killjoy and a little of what you fancy will always do you good.
But while these places are enjoying the sweet smell of success I worry the nation’s health may be paying the price.