Powys sweet shop founded by tiny tycoon closes Newtown branch - in business for 15 years

A popular Powys sweet shop founded by a young UK entrepreneur has shut one of its stores after more than 15 years in business.

The Newtown branch of Mollie’s, based at Bear Lanes Shopping Centre, opened in 2011 and was the business’ second site.

It offered a range of American sweets and traditional British confectionery, as well as drinks and ice cream.

Shoppers took to social media following the news, with one writing ” such a shame”, while another added “Newtown has gone so sad”.

The business was started by tiny tycoon Mollie Price and her mother Becky with their first store opening in Welshpool in November 2010. The Newtown branch followed a year later.

Other shops were later opened on Terrace Road in Aberystwyth, at the Darwin Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury and on Bailey Street in Oswestry; it appears all sites except Newtown and Oswestry remain open. The Newtown branch has been closed since early May.

Meanwhile the company’s warehouse on Severn Farm Industrial Estate in Welshpool has been listed to let and it is currently under offer.

Mollie’s gained more than 200,000 followers on social media and over 3.8 million likes on TikTok but they have been inactive in the last couple of years.

Becky said at the time of the first shop’s opening that Mollie had loved playing pick and mix shop games with her two older brothers and she decided what goes on the shelves for their customers.

The youngster would accompany her mum every Sunday for their trip to suppliers in Birmingham where they bought new stock.

All of the stores have two tin soldiers outside named Alfie and George, after Mollie’s brothers.

At the time of the shops opening Mollie would take bags of sweets in to share with classmates at Buttington Primary School, and she said: “Children have the best ideas. I tell my mum what I think and she always says I have good ideas. It’s just that I know what other children like.”