Sweet dreams: dessert parlours help to revive UK’s high streets

Everett Fieldgate, chief executive of Creams, at one of its London branches. The chain plans to open about 10 new outlets this year. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Dessert cafes and ice-cream parlours are hoping to play a role in a revival of UK high streets and the night-time economy, as people seek an alternative to going to the pub or an expensive meal out.

Their number has soared by almost 700 in the UK in the past decade, according to analysts at Green Street, formerly the Local Data Company, with outlets in places from Aberdeen to Plymouth.