Bury St Edmunds's Auntie Pam's Sweet Shop has found new owners

The new owner Auntie Pam’s has pledged to stick to the sweet shop’s traditional style.

Jamie Cocksedge, 30, has taken on the running of the business in The Traverse, Bury St Edmunds - which had been on the market since February.

The Red Lodge resident is a nurse educator at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and Auntie Pam’s, a favourite amongst shoppers for 15 years, is his first venture into retail.

“I love sweets and this is a childhood dream,” said Jamie, who will be running the shop with the help of his fiancée Daniel Harris.

“The business had been on the market for some time. It had always been an ambition to own a coffee shop, but there are enough of those in Bury, so I went for it.

“I took a while to consider, but I was relieved it was still on offer.”

“I am born and bred in Bury St Edmunds, and Auntie Pam’s is the shop everybody talks about.

Jamie and Daniel took the keys on Wednesday (October 23) from Sheila and Ken Barnard, who are both retiring - having themselves taken over from Pam Gilman in 2007.

The shop’s four staff will stay on and the name will stay the same.

Jamie said: “I am born and bred in Bury St Edmunds, and Auntie Pam’s is the shop everybody talks about. This was too good an opportunity to miss.

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“We will keep the customer and staff focus what it is, but we are looking to modernise it a little bit, maybe looking to bring it to corporate events. We will have a refit next year.”

He thanked the current owners for their support so far in becoming established.

“The owners are not dropping the keys and running away,” he added. “They want to be around and support the new operation.”

He said his work pattern as a nurse would allow time for both.

Jamie said he met Sheila and Ken with Daniel earlier in the summer, and their bid to take over was given their full support.

Sheila Barnard recently told the Bury Free Press of her enjoyment of working on The Traverse - one of the most historic shopping streets in Bury St Edmunds.

She said: “It is going to be a huge change for me and Ken after 12 years. The main thing about the change is that it will still be Auntie Pam’s as we know it.

“It looks like it is going to be a success and they’ve both got some very exciting plans for it. It will be interesting to see what they do.”

“It will be sad to leave,” she added. “We will miss the customers and the friends we have made over the years.

“But we will still be around in Bury St Edmunds.”