Tasty treats as new sweet shop heads to town centre

After the success of the first Grandad Jim’s Sweet Shop in Leyland, owner Andrew Dickinson is heading to Chorley to set up his second shop on Cleveland Street.

He said: “These last 12 to 18 months we have seen a really big increase in the business and the Facebook page has gone to nearly 8,500 now.

“The way it’s increased, I have decided to go for a bigger shop in a town centre.

“Chorley is very similar to Leyland - it’s still an old-fashioned kind of town with its market and what I sell is nostalgia.”

Work is taking place to transform the vacant shop into a toffee emporium, with Andrew’s dad Tony involved with the work.

There will be wooden shelves, Victorian glass jars and a steam train as Andrew, 31, aims to create an “olde worlde” shop.

There will be 300 glass jars of sweets behind the counter, with pear drops, cola cubes and sarsaparilla tablets among the treats on offer.

Four new members of staff will work in the shop once it opens its doors.

It will be officially opened on Saturday, June 11 and the first customer will be Leyland actor Tisha Merry, who plays Steph Britton in Coronation Street.

Andrew opened his shop on Chapel Brow, Leyland, in 2012 and named it after his grandad Jim, who lived in Leyland all his life and had a soft spot for humbugs.

Andrew, who grew up in Lostock Hall and now lives in Astley Village, said: “My grandad Jim would probably be honoured. He would probably be chuffed to bits to have it named after him.”