Ben & Jerry’s set to open at site of former jewellers store

Peterborough’s new Ben & Jerry’s is set to open in May, it has been confirmed.

If all goes according to plan, the new store in Exchange Street will open in the week commencing May 13.

The franchise for the store has been taken on by Richard Sharpe, Kieran Ali and Charlie Marquillie as well as a fourth unnamed partner. They will continue to work their day jobs while the project gets off the ground and hail from the area surrounding Peterborough, including Spalding, Long Sutton and Tydd Saint Mary respectively.

The new shop in Peterborough is the first of what is a contract to eight or nine similar shops in the region in partnership with Unilever.

It will take the place of Crown Bespoke Jewellers at 10, Exchange Street in the city centre, located just off St John’s Square.

Plans for the site include indoor and outdoor seating areas as well as a new shop frontage to restore the shop’s historical look.

It is located in the City Centre Conservation Area and will closely match the timber shopfront of the next door opticians.

Work began on the site last Wednesday (April 3) and is expected to take around five weeks.

One of the shop’s four directors said: “We are all local guys who are just trying to start a business from nothing.

“This our first store and the first time we have worked together.

“It’s a really vibrant, colourful brand. Anyone that knows Ben & Jerry’s knows that they are all about colour and being individual.

“It’s a very fun environment, lots of lighting, a lot of open seating.”

The new Ben and Jerry’s is Exchange Street is due to open in May