Confectionery store

"Candy shop" redirects here. For the 50 Cent song, see Candy Shop.

A store in Illinois, United States

A confectionery store or confectionery shop (more commonly referred to as a sweet shop in the United Kingdom, a candy shop or candy store in North America, or a lolly shop ^[1] in Australia and New Zealand) is a store that sells confectionery, whose intended targeted marketing audiences are children and adolescents. Most confectionery stores are filled with an assortment of sweets far larger than a grocer or convenience store could accommodate. They frequently provide a variety of international sweets and retro delicacies. Very often unchanged in layout since their inception, confectioneries are known for their warming and nostalgic feel, specifically one that brings back childhood memories. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

History

"The Great Buddha Sweet Shop" from Akizato Rito's Miyako meisho zue (1787)

Akisato Ritō's Miyako meisho zue (An Illustrated Guide to the Capital) from 1787 describes a confectionery store in Kyoto, situated near the Great Buddha erected by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, then one of the town's most important tourist attractions. ^[6]

In 1917, there were 55 confectionery shops in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which had a population of 70,000 people. ^[7]

The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, in the village of Pateley Bridge

Guinness World Records has recognized a shop in the village of Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, England, as the oldest continuously operating sweet shop in the world. ^[8] The Oldest Sweet Shop in the World was founded in 1827. ^{[8] [9]}

Modern confectionery stores

Interior of Dylan's Candy Bar in Miami

Dedicated confectionery stores are popular in many countries, but their numbers per capita vary widely within the country and among the countries. ^[10] Confectionery stores contribute to higher candy and sugar consumption around the world. In Sweden, confectionery stores are the key reason the nation leads the world in candy consumption. ^{[11] [12]}

Now in the 21st-century, candies and chocolates have hit an all time high in sales and consumption. Even after factors such as inflation and budget concerns, confections sales have skyrocketing with a survey showing that 98% of consumers buying candy in 2023 ^[13] This has attributed to the confection stores' rise with over 23 thousand stores across the United States of America reported in 2024. Vermont specifically being called "The Candy Capital" with 12.2 confectionery stores per 100,000 residents. ^[14]

There are many well-known confectionery stores. Some of these include the M&M's World stores which houses locations across the world in countries like New York City, London, and Shanghai. The London M&M's World is the largest confectionery store in the whole world at 35,000 square feet across 4 floors. ^[15]

Another popular brand of confectionery stores is Dylan's Candy Bar, a US chain that houses many types of candy across the USA^{[ citation needed ]}

Products

See also: List of candies

See also

• Food portal

• Candy making
• Chocolaterie
• Konditorei

References

1. Moore, Bruce, ed. (2004). Lolly (n) (2nd ed.). oxfordreference.com. ISBN   978-0-19-551796-5 . Retrieved 2011-04-29.
2. "Retro Candy Timeline". Archived from the original on 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
3. "Fannie May – History of Chocolate". Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
4. "Our Story – Orne's Candy Store" . Retrieved 2024-04-22.
5. "CXP Brief A Detailed Description of the Candy Store and Candy Shop - History". Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
6. Berry, Mary Elizabeth (2006). Japan in Print Information and Nation in the Early Modern Period. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 182–184. ISBN   9780520254176.
7. Gilbert, Stephanie Patterson (2005). "Bakers and Confectioners of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1890–1917". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 72 (4). Penn State University Press: 428–442. doi: 10.2307/27778700 . JSTOR   27778700. S2CID   185925593.(registration required)
8. "Young entrepreneur buys world's oldest sweet shop in Pateley Bridge". BBC News. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
9. "Oldest Sweet Shop In The World". The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World. Archived from the original on 2005-04-30. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
10. McFall, Marni Rose (2024-11-18). "Map shows candy capitals of the US". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2025-06-27. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
11. "Svenskarna äter mest godis i världen" [Swedes eat the most candy in the world]. SVT (in Swedish). 2009-10-29. Archived from the original on 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2025-06-27. På tre decennier har vi fördubblat vår godiskonsumtion. Och det är införandet av plockgodis i mitten av 80-talet som drivit på konsumtionsökningen.[In three decades, we have doubled our candy consumption. And it is the introduction of bulk confectionery in the mid-1980s that has driven the increase in consumption.]
12. "En ständig kamp mot sockret" [A constant battle with sugar]. Lund University (in Swedish). 2021-12-09. Archived from the original on 2025-06-27. Retrieved 2025-06-27. Sedan lösgodiset introducerades på 1980-talet har godiskonsumtionen i Sverige ökat från 10 till 15 kg per person och år. Idag äter svenskarna mest godis i hela världen.[Since the introduction of bulk confectionery in the 1980s, candy consumption in Sweden has increased from 10 to 15 kg per person per year. Today, Swedes eat the most candy in the world.]
13. "Chocolate and Candy Sales Hit All-Time High". www.convenience.org. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
14. www.qualityassurancemag.com https://www.qualityassurancemag.com/news/candy-capitals-of-the-us-revealed/ . Retrieved 2025-10-13.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
15. "M&M'S Stores | M&M'S | M&M'S". www.mms.com. Archived from the original on 2025-06-28. Retrieved 2025-10-13.