About Thorntons

It was in October 1911 that a commercial traveller for the Don Confectionery Company, Joseph William Thornton, opened a sweetshop in Sheffield with his 14-year old son, Norman. His younger brother Stanley joined Norman, ten years later and together they founded J.W. Thornton Ltd. consisting of four sweet shops and a fruit shop.

Under their careful management and with other members of the Thornton family joining the Company, Thorntons has grown to become an organisation with a turnover in excess of £163 million.

The core of the Thorntons brand and the heart of our success is our indulgent range of confectionery, perfect for giving to others or for treating yourself.

Our product range has expanded to incorporate the Pure Indulgence range with more sweet foods including cakes, trifles, cheesecakes and biscuits and has also diversified with gifts and flowers available through the Gift Delivery service.

The various ranges of Thorntons products are now on offer in major supermarkets, off licences, Thorntons Gift Delivery Service (mail order and internet) and Franchises as well as in our own chain of retail stores throughout the UK, Eire and the Channel Islands.

Our own retail estate includes confectionery only stores, Café Thorntons and Joint Ventures with Birthdays, all of which are situated within the high street, shopping malls, travel locations and factory outlets. Today, Thorntons vision is to become the UK’s leading retailer and distributor of sweet special foods and this is at the heart of everything that we do.

< back