Editing Belper (section)

== Economy ==
Belper's economy was traditionally reliant on manufacturing industry and numerous goods were made in the town. Cotton spinning and textile production were major employers virtually for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The large East Mill and the smaller North Mill are now all that remain of the industry and are preserved as part of the [[Derwent Valley Mills]] [[World Heritage Site|world heritage site]].

During the Second World War, [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] based the [[Rolls-Royce Merlin|Merlin]] aero engine design team and [[William Arthur Robotham|Robotham]]'s engine design division developing the [[Rolls-Royce Meteor|Meteor]] tank engine at Belper.<ref>{{cite book |last= Rowbotham  |first= William Arthur |title= Silver Ghosts and Silver Dawn |year= 1970 |publisher= Constable |location= London |pages=119–124 }}</ref> After the Second World War, J. W. Thornton, the chocolate maker, moved into the town from [[Sheffield]], which helped to alleviate the employment problems arising from the contraction of the earlier industries. In 1985, the company relocated to a new site a few miles away in [[Swanwick, Derbyshire|Swanwick]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://www.thorntons.com/uk/en/our-story |website=Thorntons |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref>

Today, the main employment sectors are retail and services although some manufacturing industry remains. The main shopping area is centred on King Street and Bridge Street. The town has three supermarkets, the Co-operative, Morrisons and Aldi. There are two discount shops, Poundland and B&M Bargains. There are smaller Tesco and Co-op supermarkets on the Whitemoor estate.