Thorntons is due to shut all its shops axeing more than 600 jobs.The high street retailer said it had been devastated by the pandemic which has kept many of its 61 stores shut for normally busy periods during Christmas and Easter.The company, which was founded in Sheffield in 1911, was bought by Italian food company Ferrero in 2015 for £112 million.Thorntons pumped £45 million into transforming its operations, including new-format stores and cafes, but the turnaround plan was thrown off course by the global health crisis.The jobs blow is the latest high-profile failure on the UK high street, which has been battered by closures and the public switch to online shopping.More than 17,500 chain store outlets disappeared from high streets last.
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