LONDON (ShareCast) - The Chief Executive and Finance Director of chocolatier Thorntons each purchased 20,000 shares in the group on Wednesday after it reported a softening of third quarter sales.

Jonathan Hart, the group's Chief Executive, paid 120.50p a share spending a total of £24,100 and taking his total stake to 222,155 shares.

Meanwhile, Finance Director Michael Killick paid slightly less for his shares, spending 115.75p-a-share for a total of £23,150. His stake in the company rose to 275,000 shares.

The sales came as the chocolate retailing chain's shares fell sharply, hit by its report of a 7.6% reduction in the 15 weeks to April 26th against the same period last year.

The company said this was due to the combined effect of early spring deliveries in the preceding quarter, slower sales through February and March in the UK Commercial channel and the cumulative effect of planned store closures.

Hart, pictured, said: "Despite this third quarter result we are satisfied with the overall performance of the business for the year to date and we look forward to our UK Commercial channel returning to growth in our short final quarter.

"The board remains confident that Thorntons will perform in line with market expectations for the full year and we continue to be confident that our transformation is on track and our strategy is appropriate and working."

Top Director Buys

Thorntons (THT)
Director name: Mr Jonathan Hart
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 11,950.00p
Value: £2,390,000

Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG)
Director name: Mr Adrian Li
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 2,290.00p
Value: £229,000

St. Modwen Properties (SMP)
Director name: Mr Richard Stephen Mully
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 366.00p
Value: £73,200

Sinclair Is Pharma (SPH)
Director name: Mr Robert Stuart Swanson
Amount purchased: 154,225 @ 30.75p
Value: £47,424

Whitbread (WTB)
Director name: Ms Susan Taylor Martin
Amount purchased: 975 @ 4,083.75p
Value: £39,817

Thorntons (THT)
Director name: Mr Michael Killick
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 115.75p
Value: £23,150

Jupiter US Smaller Companies (JUS)
Director name: Mr Clive Parritt
Amount purchased: 3,000 @ 615.00p
Value: £18,450


Top Director Sells

Moss Bros Group (MOSB)
Director name: Mr Brian Brick
Amount sold: 1,564,006 @ 115.00p
Value: £1,798,607

Moss Bros Group (MOSB)
Director name: Mr Robin A K W Piggott
Amount sold: 228,340 @ 115.00p
Value: £262,591

Seeing Machines Ltd. (SEE)
Director name: Mr Michael Gerald Roberts
Amount sold: 2,190,000 @ 6.25p
Value: £136,875

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