All you need to know
Contents in your store Making delicious chocolates for over 100 years You and Thorntons, our working relationship Confectionery in your store Why us, why Thorntons? Our Franchise Format Investment Your order and your delivery Making Thorntons in your store a success What our retailers say about us Location, location, location Support What s next?
Making delicious chocolates for over 100 years Can you believe it s been over 100 years since Joseph William Thornton opened his little chocolate shop on Norfolk Street in Sheffield in 1911. He was a travelling confectioner at the time, which sounds like a great job but it can t beat owning your own chocolate shop can it! Saying that Joseph actually kept his job and handed the keys over to his eldest son Norman, who was just 14 at the time, and he told him to make it the best sweet shop in town. Surely that must be the best job in the world for a teenager and he really was like a big kid in a sweet shop. He didn t do a bad job either as within two years Joseph opened another shop in Sheffield and it just kept on growing from there and it s been growing ever since. Over the next few years, Norman s brother Stanley joined him to run the shops in Sheffield and Thorntons got a bit of a name for itself. The boys created a lovely rich and chewy special toffee, that became so popular all the city s steelworkers ate it. And you know what, our Special Toffee today is still based on that same recipe. Just after the Second World War, one of the best chocolatiers in Europe, Walter Willen came to work with us, and he brought with him some of Europe s best soft-centred chocolates and created our now famous Continental collection. Today, we call Alfreton in Derbyshire our home after we moved our chocolate factory here in the mid 80s. There are now over 3,500 chocolate lovers who work in our stores, our factory and our head office and we re really proud to be one of the best-loved and oldest names on the high street. But we haven t forgotten our roots. We still make our extra special toffee and we re still famous for our delicious Continentals. Over the years we ve created lots of other wonderful chocolates too and we will continue to create those delicious treats to make everyone smile for many more years to come.
You and Thorntons, our working relationship We are a full member of the British Franchise Association (BFA) and when you choose Thorntons in your store that is just the very beginning of our working relationship. Having Thorntons in your store is a trading format covered by an agreement in which both parties commit and work in partnership. This agreement helps both you and us and is there to protect both parties. From day one we want to work with you in order to establish a long standing relationship, during which we keep you informed on new development, ways of working in order to maximise your and our sales. At the end of the day we want you to be successful!
Confectionery in your store in your store We re a nation of chocolate lovers so as you can imagine confectionery performs really well within so many retail environments. We re making people s favourite chocolates easily accessible, so wherever they want to buy a chocolate gift or treat we want Thorntons to be there for them. Most of our successful franchises are situated in: a card and gift shop a home/living environment a department store a café and/or a coffee shop a post office just to mention a few In all of these locations we find that the product offering and the environment generates all year round footfall and with a vast range of fantastic products, with year-round innovation, we see customers returning again and again. And we offer much more than just delicious chocolates. To make your customers gifts even more special we have finishing touches, people can personalise their chocolates with iced messages and they can even choose their own chocolates from our chocolate servery. We know there are many confectionery offers available but we d like to show you just why Thorntons is the best one for you. So
Why us, why Thorntons? in your store We have special products for special occasions, not only at seasons but all year round. Whatever you want to say, we have a chocolate for that. Our chocolate is the perfect way to deliver your message not just for those extra ordinary events during the year; but also for the day-to-day thank yous and for moments when you want to share, give and feel good! Not many chocolate brands can say they have been making chocolate lovers smile for over 100 years but we certainly can. We are Britain s largest and best loved chocolate maker and proud of it Everybody loves chocolate and everybody knows Thorntons, people love to tell us what their favourite Thorntons chocolate is what s yours? The Thorntons name and logo is instantly recognisable and people know they re going to get fantastic, quality chocolate Thorntons is affordable and accessible to everyone, we welcome everyone with open arms If all of that isn t enough then we can give you many, many more reasons why Thorntons is perfect for you, give us a chance to come and meet you and we promise we ll bring the chocolates!
Thorntons in you store in your store Thorntons in your store holds all the elements which have made Thorntons famous for over 100 years and takes up to 350 square foot, depending on the opportunity. Sales would range from 80,000 up to a possible 250,000* *Thorntons cannot guarantee any sales figures
Investment Thorntons in your store is run as a franchise in your store The Franchise Fee is 1,000 for 5 years, that is less than 60 pence a day! The Thorntons in your store insertion costs around 25,000** We have a set up incentive scheme, which we re happy to discuss with you if you re interested in setting up We look forward to creating an exiting element in your store that: gives you a new product range gives you extra footfall gives you extra sales The perfect enhancement in the current economic climate. * We share final cost upon application ** There can be instances where this may be higher or lower. Part of the set up process is the Intent to Proceed document and fee of 3,000 covering the project management of the project. All figures are subject to VAT
Your order and your delivery in your store Manufacturing Thorntons is now Britain s largest chocolate maker and all of our all manufacturing, packing, distribution and warehouse operations are based on one site, Thornton Park, in Derbyshire. We are renowned for our fantastic, quality chocolate, so producing products that make makes our customers smile, using the finest ingredients is very important to us. Ordering Orders are taken via telephone; processed, picked, dispatched and delivered usually within two working days for all mainland deliveries. Distribution Thorntons distribute to the retail estate from their Thornton Park warehouse. A fixed delivery schedule allows the franchisee to order and receive deliveries on a pre-determined day. Orders are palletised and transported on temperature controlled vehicles to maintain quality.
Making Thorntons in your store a success in your store Thorntons is looking forward to working with people who want to make their business a success. Who makes a good retailer for Thorntons? a retailer or someone looking to set themselves up as a retailer. someone who is happy to follow a proven track record. a hardworking individual looking forward to working in partnership. someone who believes in Thorntons; the brand, our products and our values. someone passionate about customer service. someone with a strong belief that they can build a successful retail business. If all of the above describes you then Thorntons may be just the opportunity you re looking for.
What our retailers say about us Matthew and Sarah Clarke, with Thorntons in their store in Paignton Opening day was fantastic, we could not believe how many customers came in to buy Thorntons. We are impressed by the set up and the support we received. in your store Maxine and Phillip Nield Hallmark and Thorntons Rugeley Thorntons has certainly helped our business, making it a destination store for our customers. It has increased footfall which has in turn increased our card and gift sales. Thorntons provide us with great support, including a structured events and promotions plan. As an independent retailer this is invaluable in keeping our business fresh and giving our customers something new at their next visit. All of the above are more than happy to talk to you. You can ask them the questions you perhaps don t want to ask us!
Location, Location, Location If you are new to retailing then finding the right location for your new business can be challenging. We have detailed below the basic specification that you need to be looking for when finding the right property and location. If you know the town or area you would like to set your business up in then you need to begin looking at what is available. The Location Ideally it needs to be in a busy location, for example a high street, main street or shopping mall. Look at what other brand names are in the area, usually the more brand representation the better. The Property The overall size of the unit is ideally 1200 sq ft. However don t discount a unit that may be slightly smaller. You need to allow a minimum of 65 sq ft for a chilled Thorntons stock room. There are letting/property agent websites available for you to begin searching for property. If you are not sure about an identified site, we are happy to assess the property with you and establish the suitability.
Support in your store We provide support to all our franchisees through a team of dedicated Territory Managers. They work with you in regards of: Sales optimisation Customer satisfaction Brand compliance Seasonal planning Training And other elements which you might bring to the table. Communications are send regularly. Including a weekly update on all elements relating to your Thorntons in your store. We also operate a Franchise Forum, a platform where we discuss day-to-day matters in order to: Sell more! Provide better service Making sure we maximise the opportunity for everybody involved.
What s next? in your store If you are interested in finding out more, please take one of the following steps: If you know you want to work with us - Get in touch!!! We d love to hear from you. If you want to talk to someone please get in touch on: 0845 075 0056 or email us on: thorntonsinyourstore@thorntons.co.uk with who you are, where you are geographically and we will get in touch as soon as possible. Whatever way, we look forward hearing from you and talk chocolate!
Thorntons Thornton Park, Somercotes, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 4XJ www.thorntons.co.uk thorntonsinyourstore@thorntons.co.uk Thorntons in your store enquiry number: 0845 075 0056