Thorntons bidder reviews price

A takeover proposal for chocolate-maker Thorntons was back on the drawing board today as more details emerged of the company’s poor recent trading.

Chairman Christopher Burnett, who previously indicated a bid worth £124m (€180.8m) to take the company private, said further discussions were now planned with independent directors about the offer and its pricing.

The move comes after the company warned on January 3 that sales had been disappointing over Christmas. It offered further details in a trading update today and warned it was likely its poor performance would continue.