All Hotel Chocolat articles
Hotel Chocolat is an upmarket chocolatier and cocoa grower that trades through more than 120 locations across the UK, and international outlets. The company started out selling chocolates online in 1993, set up Chocolate Tasting Club in 1998, before opening the first-ever Hotel Chocolat store in 2004. In 2006, founders Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris bought the 250-year-old Rabot Estate cocoa plantation in Saint Lucia, becoming the only UK company to grow cocoa on its own plantation. In 2016, Hotel Chocolate floated on London’s junior stock market AIM.
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NewsHotel Chocolat has named a new chief executive after being acquired by Mars
Hotel Chocolat has promoted its UK managing director and group marketing officer Lysa Hardy to the role of chief executive officer after the retailer was bought out by confectionery giant, Mars in a £534m deal at the end of last year.
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Retail Navigator AnalysisHotel Chocolat (Strategy)
Under its new Mars owner, Hotel Chocolat is expanding its concession café concept by opening its first fresh bakery and hot food offer. The bakery concessions sell in-house developed sweet and savoury items, such as Caribbean Chicken Curry and Chocolatier’s Carrot Cake.
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AnalysisWhat next for Hotel Chocolat after its sweet £534m deal with Mars?
Hotel Chocolat founder Angus Thirlwell says the surprise deal with Mars represents a “meeting of minds”, but after a torrid year what will the acquisition mean for the retailer?
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NewsHotel Chocolat accepts £534m Mars bid
Hotel Chocolat has accepted a £534m acquisition bid from Mars, with the board now recommending the cash offer to its shareholders.
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NewsHotel Chocolat swings to loss as online struggles
Hotel Chocolat has slipped into the red with revenues dropping 10%, owing to lower online and international sales.
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NewsHotel Chocolat warns on profits as inflationary pressures bite
Specialist retailer Hotel Chocolat has issued its second profit warning of the year, blaming ongoing inflationary pressures and softening consumer sentiment.
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NewsHotel Chocolat to open five new retail park stores by Christmas
Hotel Chocolat is going all in on its new out-of-town format, with plans to open a further five new stores in retail parks before Christmas.
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NewsHotel Chocolat cools expectations as Easter sales ‘lower than expected’
Hotel Chocolat expects sales to be slightly lower than market expectations and underlying profit before tax to break even in the 2023 financial year.
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NewsHotel Chocolat profits and revenue fall as international sales suffer
Hotel Chocolat has posted a fall in profits and revenue in its first half as strong UK sales were offset by plummeting international sales.
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NewsHotel Chocolat appoints Jon Akehurst as new chief financial officer
Hotel Chocolat has named Jon Akehurst as its new chief financial officer and executive board director.
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NewsHotel Chocolat enjoys festive high street boost as it eyes fresh UK expansion
Hotel Chocolat hailed the bounce back of the high street over the Christmas period and unveiled plans to ramp up store expansion over the next three years.
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NewsHotel Chocolat teams with new partner for Japan expansion
Hotel Chocolat has entered a strategic partnership with Eat Creator Corporation to optimise the brand for the Japanese market.
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NewsHotel Chocolat boss Thirlwell eyes rollout of ‘format of the future’ stores
Hotel Chocolat is eyeing a wider rollout of its new “format of the future” stores as shoppers return in droves to bricks-and-mortar locations.
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NewsHotel Chocolat pins hopes on stores in tough trading conditions
Hotel Chocolat bosses hope the resurgence of stores will help it navigate tough conditions following a year of restructuring.
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NewsHotel Chocolat closes US website as it pulls out of country to focus on UK
Hotel Chocolat has closed its US website months after closing stores in the region to focus instead on its home market
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NewsHotel Chocolat’s Japan venture reaches melting point
Hotel Chocolat’s Japanese joint venture has entered into “civil rehabilitation”.
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NewsMade.com and Hotel Chocolat issue profit warnings
Made.com and Hotel Chocolat have both issued warnings over their profits, with the furniture retailer citing supply chain costs and low consumer confidence while the confectionary business plans a transitional year to focus on its most profitable markets.
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AnalysisThe great service shortfall: Tackling retail’s new pandemic
Customer service levels were hammered during the pandemic, but the era of ‘Covid-forgiveness’ among consumers is over.
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AnalysisAnalysis: How Primark, Morrisons and Hotel Chocolat are serving up food and beverage innovations
As coronavirus restrictions have lifted, retailers have looked to in-store dining to bolster footfall and drive both store and online sales. But what are the challenges and opportunities presented by in-store dining in a post-pandemic world?
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NewsHotel Chocolat on a high as profits outstrip sales growth
Hotel Chocolat has hailed another strong trading period for the business despite wider inflationary pressures as profit grew faster than sales growth.