Whitefield-based chocolatier Slattery has publicly criticised a customer for failing to pay a £12,500 bill. The family-run bakery and tearoom said staff completed a large order for 'a very well-known Manchester organisation' but is still waiting for the invoice to be settled.
Public Appeal on Social Media
Taking to social media in the hope of prompting action, Slattery said: "As an independent family run business, we've spent nearly 60 years doing what we love: creating handmade chocolates, cakes and all the things that make Slattery what it is today and we genuinely love creating for other Manchester businesses. From one-off bespoke orders to larger corporate projects, we're incredibly proud when another local name chooses to work with us."
The post continued: "Supporting small businesses means more than just saying you do. We currently have an outstanding invoice of £12,500 from a very well-known Manchester organisation. The work was completed, the order delivered, and the agreed 30-day payment terms have now passed by more than 60 days."
Impact on Independent Business
Slattery explained the significance of the sum, adding: "Now, £12,500 might be small amount to a large organisation. But to an independent family business like ours, it's a significant amount of money."
"It's ingredients, materials, staff hours, wages, electricity and the many other costs involved in producing and delivering an order. It's money we've already spent fulfilling this commitment, and money that should have been back in the business weeks ago."
The Facebook post revealed the family had a 'big debate' over whether to name the organisation publicly and 'whether making the situation public is actually the right thing to do'.
"We have a much more direct post sitting ready to go," it said. "But we don’t want to create a social media storm, generate gossip or turn this into a public argument. We'd much rather resolve it professionally and move on, quite simply we just want paying."
Call for Timely Payments
"So, this is just a reminder, when you support small please pay on time, it just makes us happy and we can work on something else rather than chase payments."
Slattery added that it works 'with some fantastic Manchester businesses', most of whom 'value what we do, pay within their agreed terms and make working together a pleasure'.
Last year, Slattery issued a stark warning to customers that 'no one is safe' amid rising costs affecting the hospitality industry. Bosses said the combined challenges they face are 'the worst we’ve ever experienced' in 57 years of business, pointing to record-high cocoa prices, a 40 per cent rise in flour costs, and an electricity bill that 'now exceeds £10,000 a month'.
