Chocolate retailer Thorntons has dismissed an sudden drop in online sales as part of a strategic shift to rely more on wholesale custom.
The retailer has been closing stores to reduce costs and growing its commercial division which sells products via other retailers. But it has also been developing online strategies including testing kiosks in stores.
Sales through Thorntons Direct, its online business, fell from £0.9 million to £0.8 million - more than 10 per cent - in the 10 weeks to June 29 compared with a year earlier. The quarter is the retailer's quietest. Online sales in the Christmas quarter were five times that size.
Retail sales fell 2.8 per cent in the period as the chain closed 34 stores. Like-for-like store sales increased 0.5 per cent. Total company sales increased 5.6 per cent as commercial sales increased 11.8 per cent to 9.2 million.
Thorntons chief executive Jonathan Hart said the firm had shown 'further encouraging progress' and that profit before one-off costs would be ahead of expectations in the full year as the retailer predicted in a statement two weeks ago. He expects the wholesale business to exceed the retail division and aims to have a chain of about 180 to 200 shops.
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