Candy Store Outlets Continue To Blight London's West End

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 18: Vaping sticks are displayed for sale in a souvenir shop on Oxford Street on July 18, 2023 in London, England. The proliferation of American-style candy stores in Oxford Street and the surrounding area began in 2017 and increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic when well-known shop chains closed down leaving buildings empty. Landlords moved them in rent-free hoping they would pay business rates but many have been prosecuted for non-payment. More recently, trading standards and police have targeted many of the shops and confiscated thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit and dangerous goods. Westminster City Council wrote to the landlords in May begging them to do “all that they can” to bring the influx of the stores to an end. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)