April 2008

THORNTONS BREAKS RECORD FOR THE WORLD’S LARGEST BOX OF CHOCOLATES

Today Thorntons broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest box of chocolates. The giant box was created to celebrate the launch of Thorntons ‘moments’, the Chocolatier’s new twist-wrapped chocolates, and unveiled to the public in London’s Leicester Square. The box will tonight be transported to Newcastle and displayed in the city centre on Thursday (10th April), and in Bristol on Friday (11th April).

The public were able to share this unique record-breaking moment with a sensory experience of their own. Visitors were invited to walk a red carpet, climb the steps beside the record-breaking box and then help themselves to a delicious handful of the new moments chocolates.

The Record Breaking Box – Vital Statistics

· The box measures 5.04 metres (16.5 feet) tall and 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) wide
· The box weighs 4,805 pounds (1,793kg) (in total including chocolates)
· Contains 3,725 pounds (1,390kg) of chocolates – over 220,052 individually wrapped Thorntons moments

The record breaking box is a replica of the new Thorntons moments box, recently launched as the perfect treat to share with friends and family. Made using only the finest ingredients from around the world, including West African cocoa beans and 100% cocoa butter. In typical Thorntons style, the new moments range offers a premium twist on individually wrapped chocolates.

To select the flavours for the chocolates, the Chocolatier conducted a consumer taste-test and then used the results to create the milk chocolate-covered moments with everyone’s favourite centres in mind.

For more information contact
Alex Blundell alexb@borkowski.co.uk
and Jodie Berman jodieb@borkowski.co.uk
at Borkowski on 020 7404 3000

Notes to Editor

· The previous record for the largest box of chocolates was set in 2002, by Marshall Field’s Frango chocolates. The box weighed 3,226 pounds (1,204kg)

· Thorntons moments are available from Thorntons stores and selected supermarkets nationwide from March 2008

· Two sizes are available:
- 250g RRP £3.99
- 43g RRP 99p

ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ATTACKS LONDON TRAFFIC IN CAMPAIGN TO POACH MORE BRITS

Following its recent ‘Screw Working in Staines’ campaign, Adelaide, South Australia has now taken to the congested streets of London to launch another offensive, this time attacking the Capital’s traffic. Spearheaded by a one-woman campaigner, Adelaide, South Australia’s latest message to Londoners is ‘stop spending time in jams’ and consider a better life in Adelaide.

South Australian Bec Hardy, of the Hardy wine dynasty, got behind the campaign with a placard stating ‘Sod London Traffic, I’m Off to Adelaide, South Australia’. She took her message to traffic jams in Euston, Clerkenwell, Aldgate and Hackney to rally support.

Evening Standard center-spread April 03 2008

View image

Evening Standard Caption April 03 2008

Aldgate and Hackney are suburbs in Adelaide, both famous for beautiful houses, breath-taking scenery and excellent quality of life – a far cry from London’s run down and polluted versions.

Dirty roads, heavy pollution, hours spent in traffic jams, extortionate public transport prices and millions of frustrated commuters are some of the problems not faced by residents in Adelaide, South Australia. The stats speak for themselves:

• London’s traffic is the slowest in Europe with an average speed of 12mph
• Number of licensed cars in Britain has increased by 5.5 million to 26.5 million since 1997.
• Quarter of all car trips are less than two miles long
• By end of August 2007, the average delay had risen from 3.78 to 4.16 minutes per ten miles
• Heavy London traffic makes it harder for asthmatics to breathe. Study by Imperial College of London showed that mild or moderate asthmatics who walked along Oxford Street lost 6% of their lung capacity and took hours to return to normal
• London gridlocks have become worse since the introduction of 1,500 more traffic lights

Adelaide is known as Australia’s ’20-minute city’ as most metropolitan trips are 20 minutes – including to the beach and Adelaide Hills. In addition, Adelaide boasts the lowest car parking costs of any Australian mainland capital, with “early bird” parking about £3.89 in the city centre.

As well as petrol being much cheaper in Adelaide, so is public transport. A peak one-day travel card for London Zones 1 & 2 costs £6.60 or A$14.40. Adelaide offers a no-zone restriction pass for only A$7.70 or £3.50.

There’s no congestion charge in Adelaide, South Australia and it is the only state in the planet to operate the world’s first 100% solar-powered electric bus* which has been working as a public service for six months.

She says: “I don’t know anyone in the UK who actually likes travelling in London – in Adelaide we all love it. I’ve been in London 18 months and although Londoner’s love London, they hate the traffic, the dirt, house prices and the cost of living. Adelaide is giving disgruntled residents another life option.”

The campaign was commissioned by the State’s London-based Agent General, Bill Muirhead. Himself an ex-Adelaidean and now a London resident, he knows the pros and cons for both sides, he says:

“Even with all the money, resource and research that has been pumped into making London traffic better, the bottom line is that the roads are packed, people hate coming into town, the air is dirty and being any part of the traffic in London is miserable.

“It’s a better in Adelaide, South Australia for many reasons. The cost of living and commuting is so much lower and travelling doesn’t get you down as much when you have a great house, great wages, a commute past beautiful scenery and much more cost effective commuting options. It’s simply cheaper, better and cleaner, which means you’re more likely to go to work with a smile on your face.”

Since the launch of its first controversial ‘Screw working in Staines’ advert on 4th February 2008, the Adelaide, South Australia migration information and application website www.southaustralia.com/uk has received over 10,200 hits - 911% up on the week before launch.

More than 3,000 Brits in 2006 and almost the same in 2007 have emigrated to South Australia thanks to immigration laws which target skilled labour and support business ambition. Adelaide has already poached more than 400 disheartened British beat bobbies, lured by the lack of bureaucracy and the added security of being allowed to carry guns.

Now Australia’s fastest growing economy is going after London’s traffic problems to attract UK skilled labour away from the Capital and to a better life in Adelaide, South Australia.

In an uncertain UK economic environment, Adelaide, South Australia expects a record number of Brits to make the break in 2008. This is a serious call to all businesses, skilled professionals, students and tourists to look towards a future in a more progressive (and traffic jam free) climate.

For more information, images or an interview, please contact:

0207 404 3000 / Fax 0207 404 5000
Sarah Jackson – 07968 838856 sarahj@borkowski.co.uk
Natasha Gould – 07920 092 018 natasha@borkowski.co.uk
Megan Greenwood – 07917167781megan@borkowski.co.uk

Notes to Editors:
· In 2006, Australia had the world’s most resilient economy for the fifth year in succession and the lowest risk of political instability in the world (World Competitiveness Yearbook 2006) and it is the fastest place to start a business in the world (World Bank, Doing Business 2008).
·* Tindo is the culmination of the Adelaide City Council’s eight-year, million-dollar project to deliver a pure electric community bus, with the solar recharge component made possible by the support of the Australian Government through the Adelaide Solar City program.
· i: Beyond Ken, The Times, 17th March 2008
· ii: Huge rise in traffic choking the roads, Ben Webster, The Times, 17th January 2008
· iii: Huge rise in traffic choking the roads, Ben Webster, The Times, 17th January 2008
· iv: Huge rise in traffic choking the roads, Ben Webster, The Times, 17th January 2008
· v: Diesel engine fumes 'make asthma worse', Amy Iggulden, The Evening Standard, 6th December 2007
· vi: Beyond Ken, The Times, 17th March 2008
· vii: http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/ticketing/fares.html

Adelaide, South Australia Facts:
· Equal third most liveable city in the world - The Economist Intelligence Unit 2006
· 3rd best business destination in the world – top ranked Australian city. The Economist Intelligence Unit 2005
· Most cost competitive city in the world for a city of its size. KPMG Competitive Alternatives 2006
· One of the world’s least expensive cities to live. Mercer Consulting Group, Cost of Living
· Lowest rents in Australia. www.southaustralia.biz
· 300 days of sunshine a year*9 Mediterranean climate. Australian Bureau of Meteorology
· Population: 1.584 million
· Average Summer temperature: 28 degrees centigrade - Average Winter temperature: 16 degrees centigrade
· Only Australian state to be settled entirely by Free Settlers
· Four times the size of the UK – twice the size of Spain
· It’s a sporting capital which plays host to Rugby Sevens, Test cricket and the Tour Down Under, the only pro-tour cycling race outside of Europe
· Kangaroo Island – voted the best island in the Pacific Rim in National Geographic
· More than 90% of South Australia’s marine plants and animals are found nowhere else in the world – Department for Environment and Heritage
· Wine capital of Australia – 60% of Australia’s wine production
· £250m of wine exported to the UK alone
· Home of the two 2007 International Winemakers of the Year
· Oldest vines in the world with over 500 wineries
· Home to Penfolds including its 1990 vintage Grange: ‘The Best Red Wine in the World’
· Home to Australia’s only family owned brewery: Coopers Brewery (Coopers Beer)
· South Australia is the largest source of uranium in the world, boasts the second largest gold mine and the largest copper mine in the world
· Education is now South Australia’s fourth largest export, cementing Adelaide’s position as an internationally recognised education centre and as Australia’s Learning City
· Adelaide is the home to the second largest Fringe Festival in the world outside of Edinburgh