| 0:16 04/05/2012 | Re: satisfactory trading performance. |
| Whoops just a little omission in that previous post. Just to make it clear, I don't think you can say that the long list of positive items I quoted from the RNS are awful. Well you can say it but saying is not believing it and the market didn't seem to believe it was all awful. Olive By HotOliveOyl49 |
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| 0:03 04/05/2012 | Re: satisfactory trading performance. |
| Bonynghall, "As for the latest trading report, it's actually AWFUL!" But we know Thorntons are closing poorly performing own stores. That was part of the recovery plan. You can't really say that "Franchise sales increased by 12.6% to £3.1 million. Franchisees demonstrated a more positive approach to restocking in the new year which has continued through key spring trading seasons Mothers Day and Easter. Similarly to our Own Stores, Franchisees experienced good Easter sales growth. and · Thorntons Direct sales increased by 2.2% to £2.5 million. A successful Easter contributed to good growth in consumer and online sales of 7.3% in the period." At the end of the day, though, sales are vanity and profit is sanity. I happen to live in an area that has lost two underperforming THT stores since the New Year. Cocoa prices down, sugar prices down, savings being made from closing down unprofitable stores, directors buying, instituional investor buying big, Hershey indicating that they are looking at international acquisitions this year. You give me a reason not to hold here other than to line other folks' pockets? The folk who were spooked into selling when the share price touched 10p for the briefest of spells have already made a few other people very rich. But as the Who said "we wont get fooled again" Olive By HotOliveOyl49 |
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| 15:27 03/05/2012 | Re: satisfactory trading performance. |
| The share price might be seen as one of "recovery", but let's get that into context. The sp went to a point of destitution, signalling the business was almost worthless. It's recovery is not to a value to get excited about. As for the latest trading report, it's actually AWFUL! Sure, the THT shops decline was expected (spun as an "improvement in like for like decline" LOL) but what wasn't expected was that the commercial channel actually fell back, and in all year round products! Getting all-year-round stocks sold everywhere was supposed to be the saviour of this business but sales are DOWN (and wasn't the weather really difficult last year?). There'll be some welcome news on cost control I feel but that's irrelevant in the face of the challenge of arresting the sustained drift of consumers away from this brand. By Bonynghall |
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| 7:55 03/05/2012 | satisfactory trading performance. |
| Quote from the RNS "satisfactory trading performance". Not sure about the vibes from the statement. Is that as positive as they can be? By popes11 |
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| 13:49 19/04/2012 | Re: raw materials |
| Useful observaqtions. Gross profit would be affected by your ingredient figures. It would be worth trying to glean what% of net profit is stores leasing too. I suspect that and debt and staff still weigh heavily on bottom line. Saying this without seeing latst stat accounts though. By MyHobby |
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| 14:28 13/04/2012 | raw materials |
| Does anybody have any knowledge as to how far in advance Thorntons buy their ingredients. I’ve assummed that there is a lag of 1 month from purchase of materials to actually making/ selling the products (is this horribly wrong?), If you look at world cocoa and sugar prices from Sept to Nov compared to Dec to Feb there is an average fall in price of approx 15% and 8% respectively (this date with lag ties into the next quarter’s update to be released). Or if it was a 6mth lag the prices have dropped approx 33% and 4% for cocoa and sugar. Either way this should help thorntons turn a profit for the latest quarter, plus there was no easter heatwave like last year to put people off chocs. Any views? By battle999 |
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| 16:44 04/04/2012 | Re: MOONPIG Pieman |
| Pieman, Hope it's because customer services are busy with on-line orders etc. I'm off on my hols but hopefully you will have heard from them by the time I get back. Surely there should be an automated acknowledgement though just to let you know they got the thing or would that mean they would have to provide a fuller response at a later date. ATB Olive By HotOliveOyl49 |
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| 16:09 04/04/2012 | Re: MOONPIG Pieman |
| Hi Olive, I have contacted both customer services via the online form, and also by e-mail to investor services. Nothing as yet. I might give them a call later this week asking for the correct person to speak to. Failing that - I will use plan B. all@thorntons.co.uk Regards Pieman By The Pieman |
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| 13:51 04/04/2012 | Re: MOONPIG Pieman |
| Pieman, I have had occasion to contact Thorntons customer services a few times and I always get a response. However, I have had occasion to email investor relations about a couple of matters this year. One was to get clarification about the voting rights listed in the Henderson's holding RNS. The other matter only related indirectly to Thorntons about a survey company using Thorntons products as a reward for participants. I took part in the survey and didn't get my chocs until I complained to the survey company and I was worried about this kind of thing reflecting badly on thorntons. Neither email got an acknowledgement from thorntons and I ended up phoning the company for clarification on the RNS content which I got over the 'phone within two minutes. Hmv investor relations always reply to me promptly and throughly and I expect thorntons to be able to do the same. Will be interested to hear the outcome of this one from you. Let's hope the lack of acknowledgements aren't down to something simple like old contact details appearing on-line Cheers Olive By HotOliveOyl49 |
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| 12:20 03/04/2012 | Re: Breakout |
| Surprisingly easter eggs are not that relevant here. What basically happens is ASDA etc punt them for a quid and Thorntons offering at say £8 stays on the shelf. Thorntons imho are all about the brand that is being pushed onto the mainstream market shelves. By popes11 |
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| 11:26 03/04/2012 | Re: Breakout |
| I don't doubt you. But I'm trying to work out if it's just Easter hype or a rerating based on company turnaround. By MyHobby |
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| 9:22 03/04/2012 | Breakout |
| Pulling away nicely now. THT seem to be everywhere these days. Yesterday in the space of ten mins I came accross them 3 times. In John menzies a few small selection of chocs. Passed by a franchise Thorntons who obviously stocked. Then onto ASDA who have a pretty big range of Thorntons products. This is a winner as far as I can tell. What's happened to all the doubters who tried to question my investment at 10p only a matter of a couple of months ago? By popes11 |
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| 9:10 03/04/2012 | Re: MOONPIG |
| You would hope so. I also like to think that companies are not too big or insular, to take on board ideas/criticisms etc from the general public. We'll see. No response as yet. Personally also see thing as win-win on this one. I sent my last moonpig card last week. I genuinely use the service quite often. The Expat community around the world is quite significant. Being able to personalize a birthday card and add a box of chocolates for a total fee of around 10pounds really is a no brainer. Moonpig has a reminder service (free) also. Am pleased to see the bounce in Thorntons- possibly the run up to Easter,coupled with an awareness of supermkt shelf space, and the low mkt cap of Thorntons. Website is much improved too. Quite impressive really, and I like their graduate programme. Definitely the way forwards. Get fresh graduates learning the buisness from the ground up. I like it. Pieman. By The Pieman |
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| 16:19 02/04/2012 | Re: MOONPIG |
| Good idea. I hope you are right. If the two companies advertise each other it should be a win win situation. By sturoym6 |
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| 14:11 02/04/2012 | Re: MOONPIG |
| Well MyHobby, I sent well intentioned advice to Greggs, and they acted upon it AND sent me some Pie vouchers. Am not kidding either. Only 5 quid.......but the point is, their area manager acted upon it and my idea was taken up. Free Steak Slice or two was a bonus. Stagecoach responded also to some questions many years ago. I really do think, an exclusive deal with thorntons for Moonpig would do them both a good turn. Moonpig really is excellent, but gifts on their site are not great - and NO chocolates. We'll see..........my money is on an acknowledgement from them. Regards Pieman By The Pieman |
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