Kettering High Street shop takes on American candy store hoping for sweet success

Kettering’s most colourful go-to gift shop has welcomed the start of a new retail era with a reboot and relaunch of one of the boutique’s most popular departments – sweets!

Known for its eclectic offer, The Bean Hive in High Street has long been a honeypot for lover of sweet treats and especially American candies and unusual munchies.

The previous shop-in-a-shop Randalls has now flown the nest having outgrown the space but Bean Hive owner Davina Parkhouse has used the fleeting vacancy to switch things round.

A rapid makeover has seen a new space transformed into a bright pink sweet shop complete with a glitter ball.

Davina said: “Whilst we are personally sad to lose Randalls it is the right move for both businesses. For the Bean Hive it has given us the opportunity to improve and remodel the shop and also to add more colour – think drag queen dressing room, complete with a disco ball.”

The middle area of the shop will contain not one but two new sweet shops.

Davina said: “Candy Hive will continue to sell American sweets, pocket money lines, but also a big range of traditional sweets.

"Sweet Pleasures will selling bagged pick’n’mix as well as lots of artisan ranges and gifting sweets and biscuits.

"We will also be having fabulous locally-made cakes by Always Time To Bake every Friday and Saturday. Her brownies are the best I've ever eaten. This will hopefully appeal to an even wider customer base.”

The mini department store is home to many different businesses and new traders have joined this week.

Davina said: “The Bean Hive is proudly home to many small business and this week we have a number of other new traders opening. Calm and Colours, a local artist selling stunning hand painted mini works of art. Always Time to Bake, a local cookery school selling not only her gorgeous cakes but also baking kits and baking paraphernalia. The Mackeral Makery is selling toys art and activity sets for children.”

Founder of Randalls UK, Jarrod Burke, will concentrate on his business in his home town of Market Harborough.

He said: “Thank you to all the shoppers in Kettering, I'll never ever forget it. It’s been nothing short of amazing. I’ve so many lovely memories I'll never forget. After eight years, six months of trading in Kettering we have big plans for the future. The Bean Hive is very much open as normal, with exciting plans for the shop, so please keep on supporting an awesome High Street that Kettering is lucky to have!”

The opening of the new area will be officially launched on Saturday, March 2, at 10am when there will be free samples to try.