Surprise closure of Thorntons Altrincham leaves regulars 'devastated' (From Messenger Newspapers)

Surprise closure of Thorntons Altrincham leaves regulars 'devastated'

3:00pm Thursday 27th September 2012 in News By Kate Banks, Reporter

THORNTONS in Altrincham closed in a surprise move on Saturday, leaving regular customers ‘devastated’.

The confectionary retailer has had to close many UK outlets this year after recording huge losses, however, the Altrincham store, which has an attached cafe, is very well used and was expected to remain open.

A spokesman for Thorntons said: “Thorntons would like to remain in this store and have been making every sensible effort to secure the sensible renewal of its lease in this particular store.

“Last minute negotiations are in progress so it is possible that it could reopen.”

Chris Scanlon, used to regularly take her late mother to the cafe and said the staff were ‘absolutely fantastic’ in the way they catered for her disabilities and made her feel comfortable and welcome.
 

Mrs Scanlon said: “The staff there go more than out of their way to look after customers, they even sent flowers to my mum’s funeral.

“People are devastated, nobody wants this store to close so I don’t understand, it’s the hub of the community.
 

“I know it sounds pathetic but when I found out I called my sister and she took a half day off work, that’s how much it means to us and other regulars.”

Another frequent customer of Thornton’s Altrincham, Margaret Merrifield, also thinks the cafe’s closure will be a big loss to the community