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The firm of Thorntons Plc began in October 1911 when Joseph William Thornton opened the first “Thornton’s Chocolate Kabin” in Sheffield. A second shop was opened at The Moor, Sheffield where Joseph and his son, Norman, manufactured boiled sweets in the basement. In a room situated at the rear of the building, they also began to manufacture chocolates.

Joseph died in 1919 and the business was taken over by Norman Thornton. As the business steadily grew they slowly concentrated on the manufacture of chocolate confectionery. It continued to be handed down through the family. Shortly after the Second World War it was decided to expand their factory in Sheffield, but planning permission was refused on the grounds of material and labour shortage. Instead of expanding, the company purchased new premises at Belper, in Derbyshire, acquiring the building in 1947 and opening the factory a year later. The premises at Belper were originally owned by the Nottingham Manufacturing Company, which manufactured blouses and hosiery. It was known as the Castle Blouse factory. During World War two the buildings were used by Rolls-Royce for an engine storage facility.

During the 1950s, Thornton’s prospered, opening many retail outlets and in 1954 employed a Swiss confectioner who helped to create the “Continental” range of chocolates for which they are best known. When further expansion was deemed necessary the decision was taken to build a purpose made factory. In 1982 the company purchased land that was close to the old Swanwick Colliery site at Somercotes. Construction started mid-1984 and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 15 March 1985.

Although it was still run as a family business, Thornton’s became a public listed company in 1988. The Derby Daily Telegraph published on 12 April 1988 printed an article which gave a short history of the company and details of the public flotation: “Family roots are still important  - THORNTONS bosses all set for a £100-million Stock Exchange flotation haven't forgotten how things used to be when the company was set up in 1911 by one ambitious man with a dream. And the memory of Joseph Thornton's spirit of enterprise lives on to this day as his family's empire spreads further across Britain into the nation's key financial markets. Joseph set up his small sweet shop in Sheffield with one wish: to run the best shop in the town. His simple policy has been pursued for three generations in the luxury sweets market as the family firm grew. His son Norman joined him when he was 14 and took over the business in 1919 when Joseph died. Norman later went into partnership with his younger brother Stanley and eventually they opened more shops in Sheffield. They built their first factory making sweets in the city in 1935, and owned 25 Midlands shops by 1939. Norman's three sons Tony, Peter and John and Stanley's son Michael all followed in their fathers' footsteps and went into the business, and eventually took over the running of the firm. Tony retired as chairman in 1984 and was succeeded by Peter, who left last year to pursue other projects. John is now chairman and his cousin Michael is deputy chairman and company secretary. Today the business runs 170 shops around Britain and has another100 franchises shops within shops. Thorntons manufactures sweets at factories in Sheffield, Belper and at its purpose-built plant at Thornton Park near Somercotes, acclaimed as one of Europe's most advanced sweet-making operations. Prospects: Thornton’s now runs Britain's biggest and best known independent confectionery chain and supplies high-quality sweets to the rich and famous, including the Queen. But its financial position will change beyond recognition after the flotation, when ownership will go outside the family for the first time. The company has already produced a glossy corporate brochure in the run up to issuing a prospectus early this summer, when it actually goes public on the Stock Exchange. Details of the share placing are currently being worked out by merchant bankers S.G. Warburg & Co and stockbrokers Granville & Co, which first has to work ot the value of the company taking all its finances into account. A quarter of the share capital has to be offered to the public under Stock Exchange rules. The company is currently owned by around 30 members of the Thornton family, with some shares held in trust for younger relatives. Thornton’s employees will have the first bite of the cherry on flotation in a preferential shares scheme which will guarantee a certain number of shares for workers who want them.”

PHOTO: The entrance to Thornton Park, Somercotes [2015]

The Derby Daily Telegraph dated 12 September 1988 published an article regarding the expansion of the business and its continued success: “New job boom predicted for firm - BOOMING Derbyshire confectionery firm Thorntons, predicts dozens of new jobs for the county after the official opening of a £6-million industrial unit. The 75-year-old company is confident the completion of Phase Two of its 120,000 square feet Thornton Park complex at Somercotes, near Alfreton, will bring new permanent jobs in the next 12 months. The new 65,000 square feet plant will manufacture sweet centres and house storage and handling of raw materials. The company was floated on the Stock Market in May, when City experts valued it at £100 million. Bosses say the new phase will boost rapid growth. They say they are now taking on between 60 and 70 new permanent staff each year to join the 1800-strong workforce as well as large numbers of temporary seasonal staff. Divisional managing director of the Belper-based firm, Dr. Peter Heaps said: "I am confident that the growth that Phase Two will facilitate will bring with it significant numbers of additional permanent staff." He said: "Without Phase Two we could not have expanded the business and offered the job opportunities." Dr. Heaps said increased sales at Thorntons' 200 shops and 100 franchised outlets in the UK had supplied three quarters of the company's business over the past five years, boosted by development of overseas markets. Dr. Heaps said: "Now that Thornton Park is fully operational we have a straight-line single storey fully airconditioned factory which is unique in the industry anywhere in Europe. He said plans were starting to be drawn up for the next phase of development on the 65-acre greenfield site at Somercotes but work would not start in the next 12 months. Transferring operations to Somercotes would not jeopardise jobs at Belper due to expansion of business, he said, adding that the scale of transfer would depend on circumstances at the time. Phase Two was opened by company president Stanley Thornton this week. The Queen opened Phase One in 1985. “

Eventually all of the production moved to the Somercotes site. Their Belper factory finally closed in 2004.

Although recent years have seen trading difficulties for the company, Thornton’s still has a large role to play in the district, employing many of its workforce locally. In June 2015, the Italian chocolate maker Ferrero SpA purchased the company for some £112m. At the time Ferrero did not have a manufacturing base in the UK. At the time, the Chief Executive, Giovanni Ferrero said: “This transaction brings together two highly complimentary businesses, but more importantly unites two companies that share the same passion for growing barnds and a proud heritage, drive and culture built upon their family foundations."

Many sources quote the address of the factory as “Alfreton”, but Thornton’s own documentation correctly confirms the address as “Thornton Park, Somercotes, Derby”.