Chocolate retailer Thorntons has announced plans to permanently shut all its 61 stores with 603 jobs impacted.

Adam Goddard, retail director at Thorntons, said the changing face of retail along with coronavirus and lockdown pressures have had their toll on the business.

He said: "Changing dynamics of the high street, shifting customer behaviour to online, the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and the numerous lockdown restrictions over the last year - especially during our key trading periods at Easter and Christmas - has meant we have been trading in the most challenging circumstances."

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He also said: "Unfortunately like many others, the obstacles we have faced and will continue to face on the high street are too severe and despite our best efforts we have taken the difficult decision to permanently close our retail store estate.

"We will now go into full consultation with our colleagues."

The company, which was founded in Sheffield in 1911, was bought by Italian food giant Ferrero in 2015 for £112 million.

The Herald: The industrial parkThe industrial park

'Urgent demand' for Central Scotland logistics space cited as major extension launched

Work has begun on a major extension to an industrial park in central Scotland, with demand for industrial and logistics space fuelling what is described as an "urgent requirement for high specification buildings".

READ MORE: Gartcosh Industrial Park is a joint venture between Fusion Assets and J Smart & Co (Contractors). The two second-phase units now being built will offer 16,000 sq ft and 24,500 ft respectively, once completed later this year.

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Paul Sheerin: Who wouldn’t want to join mission to save the world?

If like me, you have been thinking recently about what exactly green skills are, then maybe also like me, you need to get out more – don’t we all? Even if you haven’t thought about this, you may have noticed the phrases ‘climate emergency’, ‘zero carbon and net zero among others are now commonplace, along with the question of what skills will we need to be part of the solution, rather than standing on the side-lines watching.

READ MORE: At the end of last year, Skills Development Scotland undertook the task of rapidly developing a response to this question through their Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP), and Scottish Engineering along with other stakeholders were happy to be asked for input.

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