Delivery Information

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to share our lovingly crafted Thorntons chocolates. So whether you’ve got an occasion in mind or just want to cheer someone up, all the information you need on how we deliver a special treat can be found below.

Please contact us if there’s anything you’d like to talk through with one of our team.

Van

Standard Delivery

£3.95

Delivery within 3-5 working days.

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Please note, due to the fragile nature of our flower bouquets, we are unable to ship these using our standard delivery service.

Standard deliveries will arrive within 3-5 working days (excluding Sundays and bank holidays) from the dispatch date. Our standard delivery service is fulfilled by Hermes, who use local lifestyle couriers; this makes things more convenient for you as local couriers can deliver any time up to 9:00pm. Orders placed before 11:00am will normally be dispatched the same day - otherwise, they will be dispatched on the next working day (excluding weekends and bank holidays).

You'll be able to track your order 72 hours after dispatch. If nobody’s home to sign for your goods when we arrive, the driver may leave them in a secure location at his or her discretion.

As there is potential for deliveries to be fulfilled outside of normal working hours, this delivery option is not suitable for deliveries to hospitals or businesses.

Please note: if you want to send an order to multiple addresses, you will need to email or phone our Customer Services team, where an additional £3.95 charge will be incurred for each address added to the order.

Pick Up Location

Pick Up Location

£3.95

Delivery to your specified Pickup Location within 3-5 working days
Maximum order value is £60 (due to size restrictions)
Fulfilled by Hermes ParcelShop

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Due to the fragile nature of our alcohol hampers and flower bouquets, we are unable to ship these using our Pickup Location delivery service.

Deliveries will arrive at your specified Pickup Location within 3-5 working days (excluding weekends and bank holidays) from the dispatch date.

Our Pickup Location delivery service is fulfilled by Hermes (ParcelShop), who use local lifestyle couriers; this makes things more convenient for you as local couriers can deliver any time up to 9:00pm to your local pickup location.

Orders placed before 11:00am will normally be dispatched the same day - otherwise, they will be dispatched on the next working day to your specified Pickup Location (excluding weekends and bank holidays).

You will be notified via SMS/email once your parcels are ready for collection at the specified Pickup Location. You then also receive reminders +1 and again +2 days after arrival date.

You or a representative can collect your parcels with the following forms of ID (of the Recipient):

  • Photo Driving License
  • Valid Passport
  • Photo Id Card
  • Utility Bill
  • UK Biometric card
  • Council Tax Statement
  • Your Order Confirmation
  • Debit / Credit Card
  • NI Electoral Card
Calendar

Next / Named Day Premium Delivery

£5.95

Delivery between 7:00am to 6:00pm Monday - Friday (excluding bank holidays)
Delivery between 7:00am to 2:00pm Saturdays

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Next / Named Day Deliveries are fulfilled by Parcelforce and are delivered between 7:00am and 6:00pm Monday - Friday (excluding bank holidays) or 7:00am to 2:00pm Saturdays.

To receive your chocolates the via our Next / Named Day Delivery service, you will need to place your order before 4pm Monday - Friday. Next / Named Day Delivery orders placed after this time, or on a Saturday or Sunday, will not be delivered until the following Tuesday.

For Saturday deliveries please select the Next / Named Day Delivery option and choose the appropriate Saturday from the calendar pop-up in the checkout.

If you are not going to be home within delivery hours, the courier will leave a calling card for you to rearrange a suitable time and date. If you know that nobody will be home during delivery hours, we would recommend delivery to an alternative address instead. If your goods become unsuitable as a result of non-delivery (for example, exceeding their best before date), we cannot accept liability.

To track your order, simply follow the link in your dispatch email or call our advisors on 0800 454537.

Out of area postcodes

Due to the remote nature of some locations, there are some postcodes within the UK to which we unfortunately cannot offer our Next / Named Delivery services. Deliveries to these postcodes will instead be made via our Standard Delivery service, and will arrive within 7 days (excluding Sundays and bank holidays) following the dispatch date. Orders placed before 11:00am will usually be dispatched the same day.

Postcode Search

Using the form below, please enter the first part of a valid UK postcode, then press the submit button. For example, DE55. Having Trouble? View the full postcode list.

International Deliveries

£30.00

Delivery within 10 working days

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International orders are fulfilled by UPS and will typically take up to 10 working days. Unfortunately we are unable to guarantee delivery on specific dates. Due to their fragile nature, we are also unable to deliver alcohol, ceramics, flowers and fragile items such as our chocolate models & shapes and Easter eggs to countries outside the UK.

Our products might be delicious but they’re also perishable. Once they've left our Chocolate Factory, we have little control over the temperature or conditions of your order in transit, so we cannot accept responsibility for melted or damaged products.

We are able to accept orders of up to 5kg for international delivery.

Customs Charges

It’s possible that Customs in other countries may add additional duties or charges, which we are unable to control. These charges would be applied in the receiving country, so we cannot predict or influence what they may be. The recipient is responsible for paying these charges, should they arise. We do our best to remain up to date with events in countries we deliver to, and we reserve the right to decline an order if we think it will be delivered unsafely, or if we think charges may be imposed.

US Food & Drug Administration

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently made changes to legislation relating to the importing of food into the USA. For each delivery we make to the USA, we’re obliged to submit additional documentation to the FDA – as such, we apply an additional £10.00 administrative charge to your order to cover this. This is automatically included in the delivery charge.

Orders Containing Alcohol

We can only deliver items containing alcohol products to mainland UK addresses via our Next / Named Day Delivery services. Please remember that it is an offence to purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol if you are under the age of 18.

For further information please contact us on +44 (0) 800 454537.

Chocolate Models

Due to the fragile nature of these items, we are unable to offer International Delivery on orders containing these products.

Personalised Products

For select products from our personalised range, you will need to place your order before 12:00pm midday (Monday - Friday, excluding bank holidays) to receive your product the next day. This applies to:

Personalised Sleeves across our Continental, Classic, Favourites Flavours, Hampers and Giftsets range

Flowers

Thorntons flowers are only available via Next / Named Day Delivery service and will be fulfilled between 8:30am and 6:00pm Monday - Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 8:30am and 2:30pm Saturday. To receive an order via Next / Named Day Delivery, your order will need to be placed before 4:00pm Monday - Friday (excluding bank holidays). We are currently unable to offer Standard, International or Same Day delivery on orders containing flowers.

Should your recipient not be at home, the courier will attempt to leave the flowers with a neighbour or in a safe place on the recipient’s property. However, if this is not possible, the courier will leave a ‘calling card’ to arrange a re-delivery. Please note that if additional products, including gift cards, are ordered along with flower bouquets, these will all be delivered on the same day but not at the same time, as they are dispatched via different couriers.

Flowers can be delivered via our Next / Named Day service almost anywhere in mainland UK (subject to availability). Delivery to the following out of area postcodes will be subject to delays:

AB, BT, FK19, FK20, FK21, GY, HS, IM, IV, JE, KA27, KA28, KW, PA20, PA21, PA22, PA23, PA24, PA25, PA26, PA27, PA28, PA29, PA30, PA31, PA32, PA33, PA34, PA35, PA36, PA37, PA38, PA39, PA40, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA65, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PH, PO30, PO31, PO32, PO33, PO34, PO35, PO36, PO37, PO38, PO40, PO41, PO49, TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25, ZE

Business/Hospital Addresses

We know that people are busy and can’t always be available to receive a delivery, so we’re more than happy to deliver to reception/post room/security areas and accept signatures from authorised representatives; however, this is only available with our Next / Named Day Delivery option.

For deliveries to hospitals, it’s best to check that they will accept the items you’ve ordered; hospitals don’t usually permit flower deliveries to Intensive Care Units, but some will place flowers outside the ward for the benefit of visiting families, whilst others refuse products to minimise risk of infections.

PO Box and Freepost Addresses

Unfortunately we can’t accept orders to addresses containing a PO Box number or FREEPOST addresses.

BFPO Addresses

We know that our Armed Forces love a treat when overseas, but delivery to them can be tricky! These orders are dispatched by Royal Mail via the internal military post and may be subject to delays, so we can’t guarantee delivery on a specific day or the condition that it will arrive in if the weather is warm.

Incorrect Addresses

We always ship to the exact address details you enter, so make sure to check you’ve given us the correct information before you place your order. If you’re unsure, try the Post Office address finder as we can’t accept liability for late or failed deliveries due to an incorrect address.

Weight Per Parcel

We can send as many products as you wish up to 10 kg per delivery charge. This is limited to 5 kg for international deliveries; for orders exceeding this weight, please call us on +44 (0) 845 121 1911. Due to the nature of some products, additional delivery charges may apply.

IN THE EVENT OF WARM WEATHER, WE MAY DELAY SOME DELIVERIES.

At Thorntons, we are dedicated to ensuring that we deliver our products with care, to make sure that you receive the quality chocolates you expect.

During the warmer weather we take extra precautions to ensure the heat does not affect any of our deliveries, these include removing certain shipping options and transporting during the evenings. This can mean your order may take a little longer than usual to arrive.

However due to the exceptionally high temperatures sometimes experienced across the UK we may delay the delivery of selected orders in areas with high temperatures. You will receive a dispatch notification once your order is on its way.

You’re still able to place an order using our standard delivery method. We will keep hold of your order at our temperature controlled warehouse and dispatch it as soon as the temperature cools. You will receive a dispatch email once your order is on its way.

Alternatively if you are looking to make a gift extra special then we encourage you to visit one of our chocolate shops located across the UK. In store, our staff will be happy to demonstrate the love, passion and care that goes in to each one of our products.

From the final hand-finished details on our Continental range to adding a personalised touch to show your appreciation to loved ones, an experience that only Thorntons can deliver. We also sell ice cream in many stores and cold drinks in our cafes - the perfect way to cool down in the summer sun.

Find your nearest store here.

FAQ's

Why is there a delay?

During the warmer weather we take extra precautions to ensure the heat does not affect any of our deliveries, these include removing certain shipping options and transporting during the evenings. This can mean your order may take a little longer than usual to arrive.

You’re still able to place an order using our standard delivery method. We will keep hold of your order at our temperature controlled warehouse and dispatch it as soon as the temperature cools. You will receive a dispatch email once your order is on its way.

Why am I unable to order for delivery tomorrow?

Due to the exceptionally high temperatures sometimes experienced across the UK we may delay the delivery of all orders until further notice.

When will my parcel be delivered?

We will keep hold of your order at our temperature controlled warehouse and dispatch your order as soon as the temperature cools. You will receive a dispatch email once your order is on its way. It may take up to 10 working days, however could be sooner.

How do you select areas which are cool enough?

We carefully monitor the local temperature of many regions across the UK daily. If we believe the temperature will remain cool enough in a region we will dispatch the orders due for delivery in that region. We also work closely with our courier network’s local dispatch centres to understand which regions we can deliver to without risking product quality.

My order has already arrived melted, what shall I do?

We are really sorry that your order hasn’t arrived as it should, please contact our customer support team who will be able to help.

Where is my nearest store?

Find your nearest store here

Why don’t you use temperature control vehicles?

Using these types of vehicles would significantly increase the cost of the delivery which is something that we do not want to pass over to the customer. So with that in mind we made the decision not to use temperature control vehicles - However we are exploring all options to ensure we can deliver during high temperature in the future.

Why do I have to pay delivery when there is a delay?

We are holding orders back from being delivered, however the delivery charge is still required in order to deliver your chocolate gifts once the temperature has dropped.

When will my payment be taken?

For orders placed using a debit or credit card, your account will be debited upon successfully purchasing your products. Please note it could take up to 24 hours for this to show in your account.

For orders placed using PayPal, your PayPal account will be debited upon successfully purchasing your products. PayPal do, however, offer the option to make payment following delivery of goods. To set this as your default payment method please log in to your PayPal account.