If your one of the two people who watch Harry and Paul on the BBC, you’ll know a lady loves a chocolatier. A fact compounded by the 20% rise in profits at Thorntons. Despite the impending recession, there’s nothing we like more than a bit of comforting choccy as we teeter, crying, and about to jump off the roof of the car park. An added factor for Thornton’s success is the revamping of their stores and new product ranges. Boss Mike Davies says that’s what its all about: Thorntons are no less susceptible to the under-pant spoiling atmosphere felt by others on the high street but you can weather it providing you’ve got “something new and continue to innovate”. Send in your pictures of how you’d innovate in the chocolate retail sector. A big thank you to R. Sleeker of Hampton for this idea.

Tags: Food and Drink, High Street, Job interviews for high street jobs, Retail

Has anyone got a good BP story? We’re fed up with having to report trouble at the British giant’s mill, but this morning they’ve reported quarterly profits down 45% - when oil prices are sky high. They blame the drop on a 4% slowdown in production, while still dealing with problems in its refinary business at Whiting and Texas. It seems new CEO’s Tony Hayward’s (good head of hair - keep an eye on that…) radical changes to the structure of the firm can’t come soon enough.

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Since 1960 the “VW law” has allowed the German state a 20% blocking vote over key Volkswagen board decisions – essentially to stop any foreign takeovers. Tomorrow the EU court is expected to declare this law illegal and that means that the world’s most profitable car company, Porsche, can raise it’s stake in VW to 51%. The VW chairman Ferdinand Piech, is also Porsche’s controlling shareholder (small world isn’t it) and he is understood to favour a gradual takeover. A bid is also expected from Swedish truck-maker Scania – where Piech is chairman of the supervisory board. He gets around doesn’t he.

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Virgin Media has admitted that it cannot compete with BSkyB in premium pay-TV (who can?) so is planning to attract customers with updated broadband services, offering households hi-def video on demand, home surveillance and possibly on-line video gaming. Virgin Media saw about 40,000 of its 3 million subscribers defect when Sky pulled its basic channels from the service in the spring but since then people have left blaming poor service. The company is also working with the BBC to make its iPlayer video-on-demand platform accessible directly through the Virgin Media cable platform making BBC shows easy and fast to download.

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After 3 years in his £315,000 job, Northern Rocky chairman and writer of science books Matt Ridley (get a haircut) has resigned but will not receive a pay-off. The Untalented Mr Ridley had offered to resign in September but was asked to remain in his post to testify before a parliamentary committee last week where he was accused of “damaging the good name of British banking”. Northern Rock said the former chairman of BUPA and Standard Chartered Bryan Sanderson would take over as chairman of the bank as soon as he has been approved by the Financial Services Authority.

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