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IN VIEW


By Ged Henderson


“There aren’t many of us independent, family- run chocolate manufacturers left, and it’s a reminder of how important it is to support the businesses that remain.”


Neill Barston, editor of the trade magazine Confectionery Production, said: “The UK’s once proud independent sweets and snacks sector is now under pressure as never before.”


A NOT SO SWEET SPOT


A family-run Preston confectionery business has closed after 105 years of chocolate making, blaming rising costs for the decision.


Around 40 workers at Beech’s Fine Chocolates in Deepdale have lost their jobs as a result.


The business said a 300 per cent increase in the price of chocolate was compounded by the national hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage, as well as a sharp rise in energy costs.


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Beech’s Fine Chocolates had made its artisan chocolates, including truffles, chocolate creams and luxury bars, in Preston since 1920. Many of the staff losing their jobs worked for the company for decades.


In a statement, the business revealed how the price of cocoa had soared. It said: “A tanker last year cost £24,000 and now costs £78,000.”


Beech’s is reported to have passed on a 20 per cent price rise to customers, but could not cover the increase in cost in the run-up to Christmas.


Company chairman Andrew Whiting said: “There will be a lot of people in Preston with fond memories of relatives having worked at Beech’s or themselves in more recent times.”


The closure news has been greeted with shock in the industry. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire based chocolate-maker Whitakers, based in Skipton, said: “For more than a century, Beech’s built a reputation for quality chocolates – products that have delighted generations of chocolate lovers.


“As a fellow family-owned British chocolate maker, here at Whitakers we shared the passion Beech’s had for chocolate making and, over the years, forged a great working relationship.


View from the gallery THE CHANCELLOR IS


IN A TIGHT CORNER By Antony Higginbotham


Former Member of Parliament for Burnley


The annual political party conference season is now behind us, leaving plenty to digest. The biggest takeaway is the fractured state of our political landscape.


Once, only Conservative and Labour conferences mattered, but this year, Reform and the Liberal Democrats rightfully drew significant attention.


Labour’s conference was subdued, an unusual tone for a party recently returned to government. Pessimism reigned, with OBR downgrades, sluggish growth, rising debt servicing costs, and chancellor Rachel Reeves conceding a grim outlook of annual tax increases. This sets a challenging stage for Lancashire’s businesses, already grappling with economic headwinds.


Contrastingly, the Conservative conference felt markedly different – business-like rather than quiet, as some opponents claimed. It felt like a true inflection point, with the party having come to terms with its defeat in 2024 and now giving serious thought to how to regain the trust of business and the British people.


Reform, fresh from local government wins earlier this year, including here in Lancashire, was keen to show it was turning from a party of protest to a party capable of running our biggest authorities and – in the future – the country.


But conferences are theatrical performances, put on for the watching media as much as anyone else. Whatever


Citing factors like rising costs, as well as Brexit and its impact on exporting to Europe, he has called for urgent financial business support for the sector from the government.


And he warned: “Without some serious support including additional backing for capital investment in automated solutions, or grant funding to deliver new product innovations, then the industry is in for more sobering times ahead.”


Beech’s was founded in 1920 by the Collinson family, owners of a tea and coffee company in Preston. They sold it in the mid-60s and at one stage it was owned by a Swiss food group. The Whiting family then took over the operation. Andrew Whiting became chairman and managing director in 2017.


In 2014 the business reported sales of £4.5m after securing a contract to supply Marks and Spencer. That year it sold 2.2 million boxes of M&S confectionery and 1.6 million boxes of its Beech’s brands.


There has been some good news for Lancashire’s confectionery sector and another long-established firm. Handcrafted sweet maker Stockley’s has shown its long-term ambitions with a move to a new site in Burnley.


The business has moved from Blackburn to a new 60,000 sq ft site on Chestnut Business Park in Burnley and the 107-year-old company has invested more than £1m in the move.


other parties, including my own, might wish, what really matters is what Labour says and with the Budget around the corner everyone is looking to see if the promises made meet the pounds available.


The shortfall that Rachel Reeves is looking to plug is colossal and she faces big choices. The chancellor has backed herself into some tight corners.


With the tax burden already at historically high levels, and the state at its largest size ever, the most sensible outcome would be to bring some spending reductions. That seems highly unlikely on any major scale, however, with the bulk of the lifting for this Budget being done by tax rises.


What can we expect? More ‘sin’ taxes, hikes for those who are asset rich even if that doesn’t translate into income or cash, and thresholds frozen. Even with all of that, the gap will probably remain too big and what was once unpalatable will become a necessity for them.


Sadly, all this means that aim for growth will likely remain some way off.


You can contact Antony at antony@antonyhig.co.uk


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