"It was the place to get that Willy Wonka feeling"

More than a century of cocoa-infused history has come to an end with chocolate maker Thorntons' decision to close its remaining 61 shops.

Seemingly ever-present on the High Street, the company said the impact of the coronavirus pandemic had been "too severe", bringing down the shutters on 110 years of trade... More here.

This is sad, but I'm not so sure Thornton's wasn't struggling way before Covid. The company had an opportunity to make a visit feel special to their stores, but they were tiny and the service didn't match up to the products which were excellent.

I suspect many retailers are realising, too late, that providing a genuinely positive experience would have made a big difference.