A 1992 Corner Shop - Photo Courtesy of BBC Source: bbc.co.uk

Corner Shops were the convenience stall of early days.

Such stalls were commonly found in the city centers of many large cities in the UK. Many were operated by immigrants, chiefly of Asian or Middle Eastern descent. Operating in very small and tight space, these stalls sold a wide range of food items, soft drinks, newspapers, lighters, and more.

With barely a metre depth of shop space, the stalls were usually stashed away at street corners (hence the name) along the five-foot-ways or along side alleys. It is however hard to miss the stalls because the display of colourful magazines and newspaper, strung across the stall with strings and cloth pegs, are very eye-catching. This display method has also become the trademark of the corner shops.

Urban redevelopment and political interventions are some of the causes that have led to the gradual reduction of corner shops in the UK's cities. In spite of this, many corner shops are still in operation.

Halls soothers of varying flavors Source - www.amazon.com

These were known as cough drops and were sold at only 5p a packet at the time. They came in various flavors. Another popular brand was Hudsons.

Mars Bars were by far the most popular chocolates of the 1990s. These were caramelized nougat bars in a chocolate covering.

Another common treat among the children was Snickers Bars, very similar to Mars but with the addition of peanuts or almonds. Both Mars and Snickers Bars are still available widely in the UK.

Wrigley's Peppermint chewing gum Source: The Grocer

In the 1990s, the advent of TV culture and, later, the internet, exposed households to an unprecedented level of fashion, trends, and pop culture. Advertisers had been targeting children and teenagers since the 1960s. Three decades later, we saw a proliferation of 90s gums and sweets vying for the attention of the nation's youth.

Bubble gum became even more popular with the gum-chewing character of Violette Beauregarde in Roald Dahl's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Source: The Daily Meal

The soft drinks we know well today were available in the 1990s, although their logo designs were very different from what they look like today.

Those days, the drinks came in glass bottles; many, especially those sold in pubs, still do today.

Popular sodas then included Sarsi and Ice Cream Soda. The Coca-Cola and Pepsi brands became very big with their advertising jingles sung by The New Seekers and Michael Jackson respectively.