CHOCOLATIER Thorntons could pull out of Bolton town centre, after it earmarked its Market Street branch for closure.

The announcement is a blow for the town centre as it comes just weeks after other big names announced they were preparing to shut their stores in Bolton.

On Monday stock was being removed from the chocolatier, and yesterday bosses confirmed that a proposal had been put forward to close the shop.

Neighbouring shop Clintons Cards has boarded up its front door, but is only closed because of the current lockdown. It will reopen when the Government lifts restrictions on non-essential shops.

A spokesman for Thorntons said: " We can confirm that this store is under consideration for closure, but cannot provide further details as we are in a live consultation.”

The spokesman added: "We are committed to transforming and growing the iconic Thorntons brand and continue to implement our strategic plan.

"As a business that has been part of the UK retail footprint for over a century, we continuously review our store estate, store locations and our infrastructure to ensure it is fit for current and future customers."

Neighbouring shop Clintons Cards has boarded up its front door, but is only closed because of the current lockdown. It will reopen when the Government lifts restrictions on non-essential shops.

A spokesman said: "The store is not closing permanently, it is just during the Covid lockdown period."

He added customers are still able to purchase all of Clintons cards, wrap and gifts online.

Thorntons, which has been around on the high street for more than 100 years, has closed a number of its shops this year, including in York city centre.

In 2019 the company, which is owned by Ferrero, recorded a deficit of £38.3 million and it embarked on a string of store closures.

Thorntons was founded in 1911 by Joseph William Thornton and has more than 100 stores across the country.

Big names to pull out of the town centre include retailer Zara, which closed its doors at Bolton's Market Place shopping centre.

Debenhams was in the process of staging an "everything must go" sale before Monday's lockdown. The department store is expected to cease trading for its final time in the new year, saying it will shut all its stores by March at the latest unless a remarkable rescue deal is secured.

The company is currently going through liquidation and selling off stock after talks with JD Sports over a potential deal collapsed earlier this month.