Mr Simms Sweet Shop Opens in Canterbury’s Former Claire’s Store
Mr Simms, a traditional sweet shop, is opening in Canterbury today in The Parade, taking over the former Claire’s jewellery and accessories store. The shop’s frontage has been changed with yellow signage, which received permission from Canterbury City Council in June. The opening marks a return to the city for Mr Simms. The chain previously operated from 1 High Street around 2010, but that branch was later replaced by Hardys, which has since closed. Mr Simms also had a shop in Ashford for a decade before it shut in 2010. Its other current Kent locations are at Bluewater, Tonbridge High Street and Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells. Claire’s closed its Canterbury branch last year after the retailer entered administration in the UK on August 13, 2025. Its US parent company had filed for bankruptcy six days earlier. Although a rescue deal saw 156 stores sold to investment group Modella Capital, 145 shops could not be saved. Other Kent closures included branches in Ashford, Maidstone, Folkestone and Tonbridge, while the Chatham outlet store had already closed earlier in the year. The new opening is relevant to Canterbury because it brings a new retailer into a vacant city-centre unit and restores a sweet shop brand that previously traded on the High Street.
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