Rising costs force chocolate-maker’s closure

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

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

The business has blamed an “unsustainable” rise in the price of cocoa and other costs for the decision to cease operations.

It said that a 300 per cent increase in the cost 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.

Beech’s Fine Chocolates has been making its artisan chocolates, including truffles, chocolate creams and luxury bars, in Preston since 1920. Many of the staff losing their jobs have 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.

“We’ve always had many similarities: both of us rooted in family heritage, both producing timeless favourites, and both proud to make our chocolates right here in the North of England.

“That’s why their closure feels like a huge loss - not just for their loyal customers, but for the wider chocolate industry and their employees.

“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.”

The Collinson family sold the business 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. It sold 2.2 million boxes of M&S confectionery and 1.6 million boxes of its Beech’s brands.