Thorntons fans in Sandbach will still be able to satisfy their sweet tooth despite the company's announcement that it is closing all of its stores.

Burnell's, on Congleton Road, is a franchise of the popular chocolate brand and will remain unaffected by the move.

Sarah Ellershaw, the co-owner of the shop, told Sandbach Nub News: "We will be continuing to sell their products, so it's just their directly owned stores that are affected.

The shop, which also sells Hallmark cards, has been in the town for 40 years, having been started by Sarah's parents, Paul and Christine Burnell.

They were formerly known as Freezerworld, selling frozen food, but rebranded to gifts and chocolate following the arrival of Iceland and Safeways.

They took on a franchising agreement to sell Thorntons products around 11 years ago.

Sarah said the closure of the brands 61 shops as well putting 600 jobs at risk was sad to see.

"It's hard to think that good shops are leaving the high street and going completely online. Thorntons are an institution and quite memory provoking; like having the iced Easter egg and the sharing Viennese chocolate with your mum. There are a lot of memories and thoughts with their chocolates," Sarah said.

The BBC has reported other franchisees have criticised the company for the lack of notice and their alleged failure to specify that franchises were not among the closures.

A statement from Thorntons said: "We proactively communicated with all our franchise partners this morning to reassure them that we remain committed to supporting them and continuing to supply their business with our Thorntons range."

Burnell's remains closed to walk-in customers during the lockdown along with other retailers but Sarah said the town has supported them through their click and collect service.

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