The former chairman of Thorntons has criticised the company for closing its shop in Belper, severing its final ties with the town its confectionery was once made in.

Peter Thornton said the decision to earmark the shop in Belper, Derbyshire, for closure this summer was sad news for residents.

“If I had still been involved in the management of the business I would have argued that, because of the strong connections with Belper and the large number of Thorntons and ex-Thorntons employees still living in the town, then it would have been reasonable to keep the shop open,” he said.

The Belper shop is being closed as part of a broader store closure programme, announced in June 2011.

Thorntons said it would close up to 180 shops over three years to improve profitability.

The Belper factory, which had made Thorntons chocolate since 1948, was sold in 2000 after production shifted to Thornton Park in Alfreton, which opened in 1986. Thornton said he strongly opposed the move at the time.

“It removed an extremely important source of income for the town,” he said.

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