Member Article

North East sweets entrepreneur hints at 2014 expansion

A North East entrepreneur who has seen his American sweetshop business go from strength to strength is targeting further expansion and growth in 2014.

Ian Philpott opened Yankee Doodle Candy in May 2012 after realising the demand for American brands such as Oreos, Hersheys, Jelly Belly and Twinkies was on the rise and there was no one place to buy them in the region.

After initially opening the business and running it with his wife Leanne, Ian now employs 20 people including two apprentices and plans to double his workforce on 2014. And he is now actively looking for premises to open a third Yankee Doodle Candy shop in the region and is exploring the possibility of taking it nationally, possible as a franchise.

Ian decided to take the plunge and open up his first Yankee Doodle Candy shop at the Metro Centre in Gateshead after a trip to London where he discovered specialist sweetshops were commonplace.

Another at Eldon Square in Newcastle quickly followed and after seeing turnover in both stores steadily increase, the 33-year-old from Castle Eden is now in the market for other prime locations to expand, both regionally and further afield.

Ian, who is married with two children, said: “I’ve always loved American sweets and I could see demand for brands such as Oreos, Vanilla Coca Cola and Jelly Belly was really growing. They were becoming so popular and when I went to London and saw how readily available they were, it really got me thinking about the potential for opening that type of business in the North East. I felt there was a real gap in the market waiting to be filled.

“So I started developing a business plan and researching products, stockists and potential locations. I found the ideal premises at the Metro Centre but I was so cautious as I had no idea whether it would work so I initially committed to a year’s lease just in case. But at the same time I’ve always believed that if you’re going to do something, do it properly and I wanted the shop to look the business so I really invested in kitting it out in the best way possible so it was attractive to customers. And obviously that paid off as it really took off and within months I opened a second store at Eldon Square.”

Ian sources all his products from America and earlier this year went across to the industry’s leading Expo event in Chicago to meet suppliers and see what new products were expected to be the next big thing.

He also makes it his priority to research customer trends and listen to feedback to ensure he stays ahead of the game, which resulted in him stocking savoury brands such as Pringles in less common flavours including Jalapeno, Buffalo Wing, Loaded Baked Potato and Mexican.

Ian, who is a former Orange contact centre manager, added: “It really has amazed me how successful Yankee Doodle Candy has been. Although I thought there was a gap for something like this, I didn’t expect growth to be so rapid. To start with Leanne and I were working round the clock and barely had a day off which was obviously tiring for us, especially as our daughter Olivia was only a baby at the time. But it was definitely worth it.

“The challenge for me now is to ensure that growth continues so I’m now looking at other suitable locations to expand the business. I’ve earmarked Durham as a potential but I’m certainly keeping my options open. I’m also looking into the possibility of expanding nationally and whether Yankee Doodle Candy could become a franchise.

“The main thing is I don’t rest on my laurels. I know who my competitors are and it’s down to me to ensure I stay ahead of them.”

Yankee Doodle Candy also stocks brands including Cookie Dough, Angry Birds, M&Ms, Flipz, Jolly Ranchers and Nerds.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Leanne English .