SWEET toothed Penarthians will be licking their lips at the prospect of a new traditional sweet shop opening at Penarth Pier.

The ‘Olde Sweet Shop’ officially opened at the former Tourist Information Centre at the entrance to Penarth Pier on Sunday, March 2.

Penarth Town Mayor Cllr Neil Thomas had the honour of officially opening the sweet shop, with youngsters queueing with their 'golden tickets' to win a selection of sweets and a two foot candy cane.

Phil Rees, who also runs the ‘Umpa Lumpa’ traditional 1930’s sweet shop based in Windsor Arcade, opened the new shop after a £30,000 investment supported by Barclays.

He said that he hoped people drawn to the recently redeveloped Penarth Pier Pavilion would be tempted to treat themselves to some old fashioned sweets.

“With the pier pavilion up and running and the cinema it’s nice to have a little bag of sweets out of a jar,” he said.

“The shop looks like it’s been here for a while and that’s how I wanted it to look.

“That’s the whole theme of it as it's supposed to be just like a traditional sweet shop.”

He added: “I opened the original shop back in 2009 at the height of the recession. “Fortunately I had conducted lots of research and identified a niche opportunity for a traditional and specialist sweet shop combined with a great location.

“While consumers may have cut back on big ticket items during the recession I think everyone enjoys visiting our shop for a little luxury and nostalgia which everyone can afford.”

He added: “We now offer gluten free and sugar free sweets which are proving extremely popular to compliment our extensive range of traditional sweets. Whatever you fancy from sherbet “dib-dabs” to Hershey’s chocolate bars we have something for every taste.”

Lee Owen, Barclays Business Manager, said, “As champions of local business, it is essential that we support local businesses such as Umpa Lumpa. Phil is a great example of an entrepreneur using their experience, contacts and skills to develop a successful business. By really understanding the business and issues they have faced, Barclays has been able to support the business throughout its development. Umpa Lumpa combines great service, with great location, great product and great merchandising which creates a nostalgic trip back to our youth which we all enjoy.”