What's happened to M&S chocolate?
Discussion
Teebs said:
craigjm said:
The M&S bars are made by Thorntons and, like Cadburys, their products have gone down hill recently as part of their cost saving programme. Good chocolate is really hard to find these days. Montezumas is my go to brand now.
Tell me more about the Thorntons cost saving programme 
t so launched a programme with three streams, retail, production and head office with the aim of dramatically reducing its cost base. Over the next 3 years it closed lots of its high street shops, selling more products through supermarkets and the like, reducing headcount in head office, outsourced its warehousing and logistics and reducing the unit cost of each of its products through new recipes featuring cheaper ingredients and / or smaller sizes. It also significantly reigned in production to prevent oversupply and thats why you dont see bags of the broken up easter eggs for weeks after easter like you used to. The new production techniques have cut down on mis-shapes so again you see far less bags of those than you used to.If it had continued how it was in 2011 it would no longer be with us.
Edited by craigjm on Saturday 10th December 21:39
craigjm said:
In 2011 they were in the st so launched a programme with three streams, retail, production and head office with the aim of dramatically reducing its cost base. Over the next 3 years it closed lots of its high street shops, selling more products through supermarkets and the like, reducing headcount in head office, outsourced its warehousing and logistics and reducing the unit cost of each of its products through new recipes featuring cheaper ingredients and / or smaller sizes. It also significantly reigned in production to prevent oversupply and thats why you dont see bags of the broken up easter eggs for weeks after easter like you used to. The new production techniques have cut down on mis-shapes so again you see far less bags of those than you used to.
If it had continued how it was in 2011 it would no longer be with us.
Interesting, cheerst so launched a programme with three streams, retail, production and head office with the aim of dramatically reducing its cost base. Over the next 3 years it closed lots of its high street shops, selling more products through supermarkets and the like, reducing headcount in head office, outsourced its warehousing and logistics and reducing the unit cost of each of its products through new recipes featuring cheaper ingredients and / or smaller sizes. It also significantly reigned in production to prevent oversupply and thats why you dont see bags of the broken up easter eggs for weeks after easter like you used to. The new production techniques have cut down on mis-shapes so again you see far less bags of those than you used to.If it had continued how it was in 2011 it would no longer be with us.
Edited by craigjm on Saturday 10th December 21:39
For those within reasonable distance of Folkingham Lincs, this chap make the finest chocolates I have ever had . By a country mile as well, simply superb. Not cheap mind, but worth every penny.
http://www.mrchocolate.co.uk/
http://www.mrchocolate.co.uk/
Hosenbugler said:
For those within reasonable distance of Folkingham Lincs, this chap make the finest chocolates I have ever had . By a country mile as well, simply superb. Not cheap mind, but worth every penny.
http://www.mrchocolate.co.uk/
I live about half an hour from there and forgot it existed. Thanks for the reminder. http://www.mrchocolate.co.uk/
Have been there before and it was nice stuff.
craigjm said:
The M&S bars are made by Thorntons
I tried an M&S praline bar yesterday, testing this information. Other than the rather unwanted layer of dark chocolate separating the praline from the milk chocolate, it is a close match for the Thortons Alpini bar. It's funny, because I worked for Thorntons between 2008 to 2009, at a small franchised store at a bigger shopping centre. One of the big selling points was 'we don't make chocolate for anyone else', so I was surprised to hear that they were apparently making products for M&S.
However, their business restructure came as no surprise to me. Even during their brief tenure there, my boss was constantly fretting about having to shut down due to falling profits. The shop I worked at was dreadfully managed though. I appreciate that each franchise boss is partly responsible for the quality of their staff and the training, but the place I worked at was a dump.
Some of the misdeeds I knew of include members of staff slashing boxes and hiding products in the back rooms to let them pass their sell by date before snapping a bargain. I suspected the manager was also skimming product to flog to her friends. Staff morale was piss poor, mainly because everyone seemed to think that it was a product that would sell itself, the kind of shop that people only came to it they knew what they wanted to buy. This wasn't the case, and there was always a chance to upsell, or push a new product or gift wrapping job. I don't know if that shop is even still open but it wouldn't surprise me if it had been cut.
davek_964 said:
I discovered at the weekend that the reason the new M&S stuff was horrible was because I'd actually bought the wrong type.
Having now bought the correct bar, it seems it is simply a re-packaging exercise and it tastes just as good.
Having now bought the correct bar, it seems it is simply a re-packaging exercise and it tastes just as good.
But, look what you've started.Nevermind, you've got my attention, What was the good stuff and what did you buy by mistake ?
Edit :- I still think the best milk chocolate was the milk chocolate I grew up with, Milky Bars of the 70's. it had a distinctive taste, impossible to describe but today's Milky Bars just don't taste the same.
Edited by loughran on Thursday 15th December 20:05
Johnniem said:
Slightly off topic but when I was in USA in my twenties I absolutely loved Hersheys (esp the kisses) but now it is clear they taste fatty and not at all like chocolates should taste! Anyone else think the same or is it just me?
I think it's just you - Hersheys was always disgusting!davek_964 said:
Johnniem said:
Slightly off topic but when I was in USA in my twenties I absolutely loved Hersheys (esp the kisses) but now it is clear they taste fatty and not at all like chocolates should taste! Anyone else think the same or is it just me?
I think it's just you - Hersheys was always disgusting!
https://www.lindt.co.uk/shop/lindt-hello-salted-ca...
This is the stuff if you like chocolate.
Lindt - 'Hello my name is....salted caramel'
If you can get over the annoying name, it's a little taste of paradise.
This is the stuff if you like chocolate.
Lindt - 'Hello my name is....salted caramel'
If you can get over the annoying name, it's a little taste of paradise.
Gary29 said:
https://www.lindt.co.uk/shop/lindt-hello-salted-ca...
This is the stuff if you like chocolate.
Lindt - 'Hello my name is....salted caramel'
If you can get over the annoying name, it's a little taste of paradise.
I like a bar of that with a pint gives me a thirst,This is the stuff if you like chocolate.
Lindt - 'Hello my name is....salted caramel'
If you can get over the annoying name, it's a little taste of paradise.
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