School students step up to support local shops

Published: 23 February 2026

Students from St John’s Primary School called in the Mayor to support their campaign in support of their favourite local shop. Retro Zo's Sweets is a traditional confectionery shop in St Johns Hill, opposite Sevenoaks Florist, which sells a huge range of sweets which we can all remember from our childhood, served from glass jars in a tiny shop. The choice on offer is enormous from lemon sherbet to chocolate bananas, humbugs to liquorice, dazzles to jellybeans.

The three enthusiastic customers - who visit with parents each week after school - would like to encourage others to take advantage of what’s on offer here and started a petition to promote the shop. I was happy to join them. My own granddaughters, who only visit Sevenoaks two or three times a year, insist on coming to this shop to buy sweets they can’t get at home in France. So I dropped in to buy a selection for them before setting off to see them at half term.

It’s great to see young people supporting local small businesses. There are some real stars in this area of St Johns - including the Florist, St Johns Fish Bar (best in Sevenoaks), a new antique shop, Indian restaurant Qissa, and several other new enterprises. The Town Council is aiming to support this area through its Masterplan for Hollybush and St Johns, to make this important nursery for new businesses more attractive to visit and to work in. It will be increasingly important as a commercial centre as more homes are built at Greatness Lake in years to come.

Cllr Tony Clayton
Mayor of Sevenoaks