When you receive an email asking you if you would like to review an imported candy shop, you're going to say yes, aren't you? Well, as you can tell from the title of this post, that happened to me. It was honestly one of the most exciting emails I had received in a while; me and Martin love American confectionery, so to be given the chance to review a store was pretty awesome. It turned out that the store in question is one that me and Martin frequent whenever we are in Leeds city centre; Candy Hero - it's easily our favourite out of the ones we have visited. They also have an extensive online store, which offers worldwide delivery should you not live near one of their stores in Leeds, York and Bradford. I'd highly recommend checking out their discounted section, where some amazing bargains can be found!




I'll be honest, the reason that me and Martin make a point of having a look in Candy Hero is for their reduced items - much like a supermarket, they will reduce items in price if they are going out of date. They taste exactly the same as in date products, but usually work out to be really good prices! No other shop of this nature offers this, so that's why we always go back to this one. They also have some great deals on throughout the store, including for example "3 for £10" on Pop Tarts. Deals like this offer better value than items that are individually priced, and take the sting out of the expensive price tags that a lot of the items carry. The reason that they are more expensive than they would be if you bought them from their country of origin is due to import; confectionery like this is not cheap to export to countries around the world, and this cost has to be passed onto the customer. However, some of other stores like this that I have been to really do take the mickey with their prices, whereas Candy Hero I feel is a little more reasonable. Obviously still on the more expensive side, but not nearly as bad as some.





Candy Hero do not only stock American candy; they also sell Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, Australian and New Zealand candy too. Not to mention the impressive selection of branded items (such as Super Mario), drinks, snacks and retro sweets. This store also offered a selection of hot drinks, such as Casa Espresso coffee, Teapigs tea, and Whittard hot chocolate, as well as product sampling every Saturday. All of this makes it stand out from other stores of a similar nature, which often just stock the products and there is little to no involvement from the members of staff. Whenever we visit the store, it is always busy and now I understand why! A lot of stores like this start up, do well for a few months and then close their doors for good; Candy Hero opened in October 2012 and are still going strong, which makes a refreshing change.





The store is quite small and quite often jam packed with customers, but the amount and variety of products that they sell is staggering. M&M's in every flavour imaginable, a Jelly Belly Pick-N-Mix stand, a traditional sweet selection and a drinks fridge, which is full of Arizona Tea to Snapples and everything in between. I dread to think how messy this shop can get on a Saturday afternoon, but it was incredibly tidy and everything seemed to be in stock; this makes the shopping experience so much more pleasant. The labels also show which items are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, which is something that shops selling confectionery need to start doing. Instead of wasting time pouring over product packets to see if they include gelatin, a quick glance at the label and the information is there for you. It seems like such a small thing, but growing up as a vegetarian I understand the frustrations that people go through when trying to find out if a food product is suitable. It's so simple, yet I would hope very much appreciated.





I was lucky enough to be given a goody bag when I was visiting the store, filled with all kinds of different treats for me to try. Between me and Martin, it's safe to say that they were demolished pretty quickly! There was a good mixture of some old favourites (Pop Tarts), and items that I had never had before (Mike and Ike's), which provided a really good variety for me to try. I enjoyed everything that was in the goody bag, except for the Extra Sweet Watermelon Gum (I'm not a fan of watermelon), and I can't say that I love American chocolate. It just tastes really odd to me, very synthetic and not smooth and creamy like UK chocolate. However, the Hershey's Krackel bar was alright due to the popped rice that it contained, but it's not something I'd buy again. Just before we left, me and Martin also bought ourselves a bottle of Stewart's Root Beer and Grape Soda each, as they were reduced and they are our favourite drinks! As with every time we've visited the store, the staff were friendly and love to have a chat. For that reason, along with the great selection of products, this is why me and Martin will continue to frequent the store whenever we get the opportunity (It's not going to do anything for our waistlines, mind you). If you're looking for unique sweets, treats and great deals in Leeds City Centre, then I'd recommend Candy Hero!