A TOWN centre Thorntons has become the latest victim on the high street.

The Comet: Thorntons in Hitchin is closingThorntons in Hitchin is closing (Image: Archant)

The chocolatier will close its Hitchin store this autumn, it was announced this week.

It follows plans by the chain two years ago, where it said it would be closing up to 180 shops over three years.

The company had suffered a loss in profits across the country.

It is not known how many redundancies there will be at Hitchin’s High Street store, which operates as a chocolate cafe, but a spokesman for Thorntons said: “Thorntons has a successful track record in deploying staff to other stores. It has not been confirmed how many will be made redundant.

“The Thorntons store in Hitchin will be closing in the middle of September. This is in line with the closure programme outlined in June 2011.”

The shop in neighbouring Stevenage will remain open.

“We have been delighted to serve our many Hitchin customers over the years and we would love to welcome them to our nearby stores in Stevenage and Luton in the future,” added the spokesman.