Flying saucer invasion

A Staffordshire, UK, sweet shop boss has sparked a flying saucer invasion in the Far East.

Chinese shoppers and British ex-pats have been besieging Martin Peet’s new confectionery outlet in Hong Kong’s bustling central region to snap up the traditional sherbet filled discs.

Although other English favorites have proved popular, it is the ‘flying saucer’ treats that have unexpectedly taken the Chinese market by storm.

So popular were they with local shoppers that within days of opening, shelves were stripped bare and emergency supplies had to be air freighted in to cope with demand.

‘It was crazy,’ says Peet, who owns the North Staffordshire based Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe franchise. ‘We knew from market research that traditional English sweets would go down well in the Far East, but nobody expected anything quite like this.

‘At first we couldn¹t understand why the flying saucer range was so popular. Then we discovered that they reminded locals of a once popular Chinese delicacy, which comprised of rice paper discs filled with a variety of exotic herbs, such as ginseng.

‘We certainly seem to have tapped into a hugely popular niche and other traditional favourites, like English fudge and hand-made chocolates are also flying off the shelves.’

The Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe brand launched 10 years ago in the Staffordshire Moorlands and now has more than 100 franchised outlets throughout England and Ireland.

The company, based in Eccleshall, specialises in a range of retro-style confectionery, such as boiled sweets, jelly beans and bon bons, all served in shops that share the same mock Victorian façade. Based on the success of the Hong Kong franchise, former furniture shop salesman Peet has now opened another branch in Singapore ­ and early signs are that flying saucers are taking off there too. Further expansion into the US, Australia and Dubai are also in the pipeline.

‘It’s fantastic to see old English sweets taking the world by storm ­ but it seems that flying saucers, in particular, really have landed,’ Peet concludes.