Another one bites the dust - Thornton's is to permanently close all its stores, I think the one in Hull had gone already, but that's Beverley gone as well now. It was announced this morning, that 17,500 chain store outlets closed in 2020, that's a hell of a lot of empty shops.
Years and years ago it was posh, expensive and nice stuff, but when you started to get it in the supermarkets it seemed to get cheaper and poorer quality - inferior ingredients? Hotel Chocolat fills that niche in the market now, difficult to pass that shop in Beverley without going in for something. Plus they give out freebie tasters - in normal times anyway.
Just looked it up, they sold to Ferrero in 2015, not sure if that had anything to do with quality changes.
Thornton's Chocolate Covered Toffee is the best sweet ever created, but it's cost me about £700 in dentist bills over the years.
Assume this could have a knock-on effect for their co-pack manufacturers too. I'm certain their chocolate lollies are made at a factory in Hull.
Probably, timing is about right for my memory. Foreign takeover of british sweets is never good - Cadbury Dairy Milk no longer has that slightly fudgy texture I remember from being a kid, Creme Eggs are inedible and Terry's Chocolate Orange is now like orange wax that sits in your mouth not melting, all of which are probably down to the Kraft takeovers years ago. As a general guide, if the label says it contains palm oil, the chocolate will be horrible. By comparison, the relatively new Cadbury Dark Milk is rather nice - and doesn't contain palm oil.
Contributed to their own downfall by selling pre boxed chocolates into the multiple grocers. It took away the premium feeling of shopping in the shops. They have subsequently been overtaken by Lindt, Hotel Chocolat and both have a far better proposition.