Hotel Chocolat has launched its first “drive-to” outlet store as part of its efforts to cut food waste and capitalise on changing consumer habits.
The chocolatier has opened the new format in Cambridgeshire, next door to its main distribution centre in St Neots.
The store is twice the size of a regular Hotel Chocolat location with a shop and cafe spread across 1,400 sq ft.
It also has 3,000 sq ft outside dedicated to alfresco seating, as well as a 100-space car park for customers – designed to play into the trend that has seen shoppers favour local high streets or locations they can drive to during the pandemic.
Hotel Chocolat said the outlet, at the site of a former Cath Kidston store, will stock its full product proposition of 500 SKUs alongside an additional range of 50 end-of-season and misshapen chocolate products that are not sold in its existing shops.
Boss Angus Thirlwell told Retail Week it could roll the concept out to more locations in outlet villages, retail parks or service stations if the debut store trades well.
Thirlwell said the outlet had “gotten off to a great start” and was the best performing store in its portfolio on Tuesday, the day it opened.
“It’s perfectly placed if you want to drive to Hotel Chocolat, have an amazing shopping experience, pick up a choc shake, fill up the boot and drive off again,” Thirlwell said.
“We hate wasting stuff. One of our brand values is to be ethical and we hate food waste, so we will always find ways to offer it up at a very preferential rate and our customers really like that.
“No matter how much money you’ve got, you always like a deal. When you know it’s made by Hotel Chocolat, it’s made in a factory setting and you know it’s not a gift, it’s a nice way to make sure we minimise food waste.”
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