Business & Technology
The Candy Garage doubles sales after logistics shift
The Candy Garage has doubled sales after partnering with Diamond Logistics and moving to outsourced fulfilment.
The Lincoln confectionery business, founded by Gemma Faye Bell, began as a £30 venture selling pick ‘n’ mix, freeze-dried sweets and American confectionery to local customers. Demand spread across the UK through the brand’s social media presence, helping the business reach £130,000 turnover in its first year while expanding its product range.
Since joining Diamond’s network, shipping volumes have increased from one courier collection a week to daily collections. The business has also recorded 30% year-on-year growth, hired a part-time employee and become VAT-registered.
Bell had previously managed most of the operation herself, including administration, mixing sweets, packing bespoke orders and making deliveries across Lincolnshire. As volumes rose, she could spend up to three hours a day on the road.
Before the change, the business used mainstream parcel carriers directly. Bell said that often meant taking parcels to regional depots herself because order volumes did not meet minimum collection thresholds, while delivery queries could involve long waits for a response.
The Candy Garage then began working with Fleetline Despatch, Diamond Logistics’ network partner in Lincoln, led by Managing Director Bob Fenwick. The arrangement gave the retailer a local collection service and access to Diamond’s shipping platform, Despatchlab.
Bell said the company’s early growth quickly put pressure on operations.
“Having initially started The Candy Garage four years ago, the business almost took off overnight and as such I very quickly went from managing a small volume of orders per week to demand increasing tenfold.
“It got to the point where it was becoming a struggle to manage everything as not only was I dealing with general administration, mixing sweets and packing orders – most of which were bespoke – but I was then jumping in the car to make deliveries across the breadth of Lincolnshire,” said Gemma Faye Bell, Founder, The Candy Garage.
Logistics shift
Bell had been cautious about handing over deliveries because she feared outsourcing could weaken the close relationships she had built with customers. The brand has grown around her direct role in mixing sweets, packing orders and acting as the public face of the business.
She said the logistics arrangement had not changed that identity.
“I was largely hesitant about handing over the keys to our logistics and delivery operations as I was worried we would lose the personal touch because I’m very much the face of the brand, with all the sweets being mixed by me and I was also at the heart of the day-to-day running of everything from packing orders to delivering them myself,” said Bell.
“Realistically, people can buy sweets anywhere, but customers have bought into The Candy Garage brand and what we’ve built over these past few years. Thankfully, because of Diamond’s culture and its focus on retaining that human element, I haven’t lost that connection with our customers at all.
“Aligning with them has given me back time to focus on growing the brand, as managing it all on my own was completely unsustainable, while still feeling like we’re delivering that same personal, hands-on service our customers expect and deserve. It has also given me more time to focus on marketing, wholesaler relationships and expanding the brand’s presence on a national scale,” said Bell.
Single system
Despatchlab now pulls through customer orders each morning, allowing invoices and shipping labels to be generated from one system before same-day collection from Diamond’s Lincoln depot. For a small retailer with growing order volumes, this reduces manual administration and cuts the time spent dealing with shipment issues.
Bell said visibility over consignments had improved, making it easier to identify problems and contact support with the relevant details. She contrasted that with previous arrangements, where customer service delays could leave orders unresolved for long periods.
“Working with Diamond has given me the time to really push the business forward. In many ways they’ve been a lifesaver, as they’ve helped the business scale without losing any of our identity, and the customer experience has actually improved.
“With everything managed through Despatchlab, I also have full visibility over orders and shipments in one place, so if there is ever an issue, which is rare but does occasionally happen, I can quickly pick it up, contact the Diamond team with the consignment details, and it’s usually resolved within around 30 minutes.
“That for me was a huge breath of fresh air as before working with Diamond, resolving delivery issues could be incredibly time-consuming and stressful. Now, I know there’s a dedicated team on hand that understands our business and can deal with things quickly, which gives me real peace of mind,” said Bell.
The figures add to evidence that outsourced logistics is becoming more central to smaller eCommerce businesses as they move beyond the start-up stage. For companies built on direct-to-consumer sales, fulfilment can quickly become a constraint when order growth outpaces a founder’s ability to manage picking, packing, dispatch and customer service alone.
At The Candy Garage, the operational shift appears to have created more time for Bell to focus on marketing, wholesaler relationships and broader brand development, while daily collections have replaced the weekly dispatch pattern of its earlier growth stage.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 ahead of a House of Commons Public Accounts Committee hearing, the Money Saving Expert founder said customers should know exactly what they’ll pay when they sign a contract.
“I’d love to see all price hikes banned during fixed contracts,” Lewis said. “But I accept that companies argue their costs can change. A fair compromise is simple: don’t allow prices to rise by more than inflation during the contract.”
Lewis believes such a rule would leave “99 per cent of consumers better off” while still allowing firms some flexibility if costs increase.
The consumer champion was particularly critical of broadband contracts, where two-year deals have become the norm.
“If you’re signing up for 24 months, you now have to factor in two separate price rises just to work out what the contract will really cost,” he said.
He also warned that the cheapest deals are rarely available directly from providers.
“The biggest savings usually come through comparison sites because they include marketing incentives like gift cards or cashback that aren’t available if you go direct.”
Lewis said one of the biggest flaws in the current system is that providers can still increase prices after customers have signed a contract.
Although firms must tell customers in advance, he argued the rules don’t work in practice.
“Most people don’t react when they receive a notification email. They react when they see the higher bill land. By then, the 30-day window to leave penalty-free has often expired.”
He wants customers to be given two opportunities to cancel without paying exit fees: once after notification of a price rise, and again after the increased bill arrives.
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Lewis also criticised Ofcom’s current pricing rules, saying they had failed to deliver for consumers.
“Seventy-five per cent of people are paying more under the new system than they did under the old one,” he said, citing MoneySavingExpert analysis of 45,000 broadband and mobile tariffs.
“Almost everyone is seeing above-inflation increases during their contract. That’s simply not fair.”
An Ofcom spokesperson said the regulator shared Lewis’s aim of ensuring consumers receive telecoms services “at a fair price”.
The regulator said its rules were designed to give customers “complete clarity upfront” about the prices they would pay throughout their contract and confirmed it will carry out an in-depth review of the pricing transparency rules, with findings due to be published next year.
Jayden, 13 launched Jay’s Bakes from his home in Taunton Road in Bicester on Saturday, June 20.
His late nan, a keen baker herself, was the inspiration behind his passion, as well as time spent helping his uncle with his catering business.
Over the last 18 months he has honed his skills by preparing sweat treats every day after school.
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Determined to turn his hobby into something more, Jayden spent two and a half months researching requirements, gaining his Level 2 food hygiene certificate and officially registering his business, mostly without adult intervention.
After four days of preparation, the business officially launched.
Customers were treated to a wide selection of homemade goods, including M&M cookies, Kinder brownies, Biscoff cookies, Victoria sponge trays, lemon drizzle cups and viral ‘dot cakes’.
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His Kinder brownies proved particularly popular, and by the end of the day he had sold out of everything, taking £210.
Despite feeling “excited and a bit nervous” beforehand, Jayden said the opening was a success, with a strong turnout and positive feedback shared on social media.
His favourite moment came when he officially opened the shed by cutting the ribbon.
Supported by his mum, stepdad, grandparents and uncle, Jayden first began selling from a table in May before building and painting his now-signature blue cake shed.
He now plans to continue baking and selling regularly, bringing his creations to the local community.
Lidl has been given planning permission to build its ninth supermarket in Oxfordshire, despite concerns over flooding.
Aldi opened in Didcot in 2015 and has a supermarket at the Jubilee Way roundabout but shoppers in the town have had to wait over a decade for Lidl to follow.
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South Oxfordshire District Council has now backed plans by the German retailer for a new supermarket in Abingdon Road.
Former Didcot mayor Mocky Khan said: “This give the residents of Didcot more choice, especially when you consider the cost of living environment we have at the moment.
“The town is growing with more new homes being built, and with more growth it’s good to have a wide variety of supermarkets to fit all budgets,”
The plans for the new supermarket were first submitted in 2024.
Didcot Town Council previously objected to the scheme, on the grounds of a lack of flood risk mitigation measures, along with the county council who said there was “insufficient information”.
The town council noted there are “several flooding incidents in the area, especially when the Marsh Bridge water pumps fail”.
But in a report by planning officers granting permission to the supermarket, those issues have now been addressed by Lidl.
The officers said the proposals “largely accord” with the policies around planning, and more can be done to “break up” the car park with greenery.
Planning officers chose to let Lidl build the new supermarket subject to conditions.
They said in a report: “Balanced against this policy conflict is the fact that this is a previously developed site, which is currently in a dilapidated state.
“The proposals represent a significant improvement on the current underutilisation of the site and on its appearance.
“The National Planning Policy Framework and Local Plan set out significant support for the reuse of previously developed land.
“As stated in the applicant’s planning statement, there have been previous enquiries as to the redevelopment of the site that have not come to fruition.
“Given this, finding a viable use for the site is a clear benefit which I consider to be of substantial benefit.”
Thirty-four residents had objected to Lidl’s plans, highlighting concerns over extra traffic, there being no need for another supermarket in the town and there being more appropriate locations to build in their view.
Didcot already has an Aldi store just off Broadway and a Sainsbury’s, M&S Foodhall and Asda.
The nearest Lidl to the proposed site are in Lupton Road, Wallingford, and Marcham Road in Abingdon.
Three people wrote in to support the new Lidl, recognising the benefits of a discount food store and the further jobs it will create.
Lidl has said its proposals for a Didcot supermarket would deliver 40 full-time equivalent jobs as well as further employment during the construction phase.
No opening date was given by the retailer, while the developer is currently on site progressing with the enabling works.
A spokesman said: “We’ve seen demand for our affordable, high-quality products continue to rise in Oxfordshire, and we are committed to serving more communities in the area.
“Our new store will create around 40 new jobs and build on our continued growth.
“We’re excited to be a step closer to opening this store and thank everyone who has supported us on our journey so far.”
It also said the £12m investment would work with the 6,300 new homes allocated to be built, as per the local plan.
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