This box is no exception, bringing together some of our finest creations… from our much-loved Continental range – inspired by travels across Europe, to Classic – a celebration of our nation’s most loved chocolates and finally to Thorntons Pearls with their delicious centres, just perfect for sharing. Just choose your flavour. Add our flakes of real chocolate to your choice of dairy, plant milk or water. Then press the button and let the patented velvetising process deliver luxurious cloud-like chocolate velvet. Established in 1911, Thorntons was in poor shape long before Ferrero acquired it. Its time as a listed company will be remembered for a string of profit warnings as it struggled to adapt the dilapidated and sprawling estate of almost 400 stores to the modern world. Ferrero understood when it acquired Thorntons that a long-term investment was required, with a strategic plan put in place to secure a sustainable future for the business, a spokeswoman for the group says. Location is also an important factor; Waitrose stores don’t tend to be centrally located unlike say the convenience arms of Tesco – Express and Metro – and with many Hotel Chocolat stores located on the high street and as concessions in areas such as train stations, this should limit competition between the two,” Elliot told Retail Gazette.

Thorntons Nano Hot Chocolate - eXpresso Plus Thorntons Nano Hot Chocolate - eXpresso Plus

In June Thorntons retail director Sarah Ingram retired, to be replaced by Adam Goddard, who has been “instrumental”, says Ferrero, in shaping its US retail strategy. But the majority of his experience is in fmcg, including eight years for Ferrero UK working with the major supermarkets. We wanted to preserve the brand and how it feels like when you buy from us, and it’s really about commoditization,” he told Retail Gazette. The biggest retail change has been the conversion of seven stores in destinations such as Liverpool One, Birmingham Bullring and Belfast Victoria Square to a new premium café format – echoing the Hotel Chocolat approach. But a chocolate industry source believes “there hasn’t been enough urgency to get non-Thorntons products running through the facility as more retail stores close and volume continues to fall.” The only thing that has saved Hotel Chocolat recently is the strength of its online operation, and Thorntons clearly isn’t as good at e-commerce.”

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Made with real Thornton’s chocolate, this hot chocolate drink is everything you wish for in a hot chocolate. As Hotel Chocolat has demonstrated, offers such as a subscription box service, a diverse core product offering such as coffee and alcoholic drinks, and an ethical business model named “Engaged Ethics scheme” have been proving popular with consumers. Arguably, Thorntons’ offerings in supermarkets gave it a run-of-the-mill effect with its products being readily available. Although its products appeared mass market, its prices still suggested a premium product. A supermarket tie-up presents constructive and rewarding opportunities for both parties. For example, online electronics retailer AO World’s partnership with Tesco which formed in 2020 as part of a five-store trial. The success of that prompted AO World to recently announce it will launch in larger Tesco stores. Watch: M&S unveils Christmas ad starring Tan France and Sophie Ellis-Bextor posted on November 1, 2023

chocolate gifts delivered to your loved ones | Thorntons Get chocolate gifts delivered to your loved ones | Thorntons

Hotel Chocolat’s partnership with Waitrose marks an extension of its existing relationship with the John Lewis Partnership. Thirlwell explained that the partnership was not just about “shoving a box of Hotel Chocolat’s products on a shelf next to Thorntons and Cadbury’s”, but rather about “carving out zones where it can have a bit of air and light around it”. The individual sachets provide great portion control and allow you to easily take this drink with you. Hot chocolate, reimagined by us. Urban engineered by Dualit, embracing Mayan ingenuity. When you’re craving delectably smooth, whipped hot chocolate, make it your daily ritual with the Velvetiser.

Shop online for personalised gifts, chocolate hampers and a huge range of milk, white and dark chocolate for delivery by post. We put a lot of love into all we do and hope that you’ll enjoy this special collection as much as we’ve enjoyed curating it for you. Bringing together some of our finest creations, this curated collection makes an ideal gift – perfect for sharing with someone special. Say hello to the Top 10 Hot Chocolate Bombes available to buy in the UK! These hot chocolate bombes with marshmallows are made by award-winning chocolatiers, and make the tastiest drinking chocolate around. Simply place a choc bombe into a mug, add warm milk and watch in in amazement as the mini marshmallows appear.

Thorntons losses mount, can Ferrero turn the heritage As Thorntons losses mount, can Ferrero turn the heritage

The codename for Ferrero’s top-secret plan to buy Thorntons was ‘Project Cinderella’. But the Italian confectionery giant’s first-ever branded acquisition has been no fairytale. Entering the fmcg market meant they had to promote the hell out of it [the product],” a chocolate industry source says. “But it was seen as a way to keep the lights on.” Unfortunately, the strategy had the unwanted side effect of eroding the brand value built up over a hundred years. At one time in the UK, if you wanted a nicer bar of chocolate than Bournville, there wasn’t anywhere to go but Thorntons. Hotel Chocolat has stolen their lunch since then. And all the supermarkets are now doing very well in own label with single origin, high-cocoa content.Thorntons on the other hand has been struggling with its profitability since the late 1990s. The retailer’s difficulties saw its share price plunge from a high of nearly 300 pence in 1998 to as low as 85 pence at the turn of the century. Bentley-Tanner added that the danger remains that with 100 stores, the Waitrose partnership could “cannibalise” high street sales for Hotel Chocolat. What’s more, it has been slow to react to changes and failed to embrace big trends such as dark milk and vegan, leaving rivals to occupy those grounds. That’s why when we first started working with any third parties, we started with John Lewis, and we said we need our own dedicated space, and that we’re not keen on being put on the shelf, no matter how nice it is. We need a dedicated space of our own.” Thorntons closed down its entire UK store estate earlier this year. Yet despite the challenges, and the seemingly sluggish progress, only a fool would bet against Ferrero. It has a long-term strategy and, crucially, the cash to make Thorntons a success again.