31 January 2024 , 10:37
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A sweet shop is enjoying a business boom thanks to the viral fame of TikTok sensation Spudman.
Lydia Byron, owner of Wyldes in Tamworth, revealed that her shop has been "absolutely rammed", with customers from as far away as Malaysia all drawn by the allure of Spudman's famous jacket potatoes.
Spudman, whose real name is Ben Newman, became a social media star after posting videos from his potato van. He now sells almost 1,500 flavoured spuds a day, and his popularity has boosted sales for other businesses in the Staffordshire town. Lydia, who owns the town's oldest sweet shop, has appeared in videos with Spudman.
Ben Newman lives in Tamworth with his partner and their nine children (No credit)Speaking on BBC WM Breakfast after huge queues at her shop and others around her at the weekend, she said: "We had businesses we never would have expected to have a queue having a queue out of their door, I don't think I could have served any more people any more bags of sweets the rate we were going on that Saturday"
Lydia, who's appeared in Ben's TikTok videos, said: "We only went semi-viral on TikTok ourselves way after Spudman already, and then he figured it would be fantastic to have a co-host for some of his videos. So we just started you know, having fun, the authentic experience of enjoying other people's company, and it just snowballed from there."
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Customers peer into the window of old-fashioned sweets shop, Wyldes in Lower Gungate (No credit)She also spoke of how Tamworth has been thriving, saying: "Speaking to other traders and people who have lived here for years longer than I have, they mention they are upset the retail park has taken so much away from the town centre in their eyes. But there are some things a shopping centre can't give you and I think that one of those things is personality and Spudman has that in droves and beyond."
Lydia took over her family's sweet shop, Wyldes, in 2022 and loves keeping it traditional. She commented: "Coming to that sweet shop and having the chance to carry it on was absolutely amazing because we've tried to keep it pretty much the same as it's been for generations, aside from the idea of a card machine being added which is the only modern thing I'm allowed.
And at Lydia's shop, you'll find all the classic sweets plus favourites like Terry's Chocolate Orange and Dairy Milk. Sharing her thoughts on why Spudman is loved, Lydia suggested: "I don't think it's a spud I think it's Ben Newman's personality that shines through and even when we see each other when he's not filming he is exactly the same it is not a persona."
Lydia also revealed that she attracts overseas visitors to her quaint shop. She said: "There's quite a few people coming from overseas but given this sweet shop has been here so long I get a lot of New Zealand expats or Australian expats who at one point did live in Tamworth literally decades ago and are coming back only to find it's exactly the same pretty much."
She happily mentioned that Tamworth's recent fame boosted her sales "100%" and that the business surge has been fantastic. Lydia explained: "I've got a very particular niche and whilst it does have a lot of loyal customers wanting to come back for the good proper treats [Spudman] has introduced it to a whole new generation of younger people and people that wouldn't maybe consider trying something quite as uniquely British." Lydia added: "It's been absolutely great to see people's enthusiasm being drummed up for it."