Oxford Street ‘candy shop’ landlords won’t help council clamp down on dodgy goods

By Joe Talora, Local Democracy Reporter

Oxford Street candy shop landlords aren’t playing ball in a battle to shut down stores.

Some owners of shops used by US-themed sweet shops on the iconic shopping route are refusing to help the council clamp down on them, according to Westminster City council leader Adam Hug.

So far, the council has seized about £600,000 worth of dodgy goods from souvenir and candy stores in the West End, including out-of-date chocolates and unsafe vapes.

Cllr Hug said Westminster continues to target Oxford Street businesses with help from the Government and police but landlords leasing the buildings to dodgy owners aren’t willing to help.

Cllr Hug said at a meeting on Wednesday July 20: “Some landlords are taking active measures to resolve the situation themselves. There are some, however, who have just responded… with an unnamed letter… saying ‘not our problem, guv’.

“Alongside the work that we are doing with central government there will also be great pressure on those landlords who aren’t doing the responsible thing for the city.”

A report by Cllr Hug said the council has written to 28 landlords urging them to “consider the impact ” of the candy shops on Oxford Street.

It said: “Enforcing against these stores remains challenging, due to the complex chains or leases, sub-leases, and licences in place.”

The report also said the council is working with central government agencies to tackle the problem and will be lobbying for changes in the law “to close the loopholes” that enable the stores to be set up.

The council is also investigating 30 shops for business rates evasion, but a chief officer said the authority is unlikely to reclaim £7.9million in unpaid business rates.

A recent raid by the council saw £100,000 worth of counterfeit chocolate bars seized from American candy shops on Oxford Street.

Fake “Wonka Bars” were confiscated by trading standards staff on June 14 and some were found to contain allergens that were not listed on the label, posing a serious health risk to anyone with a food allergy.

A raid in March saw £22,000 worth of fake Peppa Pig toys and other designer goods seized from a shop, including fake TikTok hoodies, and counterfeit Nike and Louis Vuitton phone cases.