// Hotel Chocolat sales rise during Mother’s Day and Easter periods
// For the eight week period to April 25, the retailer said sales were up 19%
// The retailer has agreed to repay £3.1m it received from the government in furlough money
Hotel Chocolat has upgraded its full year trading expectations after surging sales over its crucial Mother’s Day and Easter periods.
The confectioner now expects trading for the year to be “significantly ahead of expectations”.
For the eight week period to April 25, the retailer said sales were up 19 per cent than 2019 comparatives, while revenues were 60 per cent up year-on-year for Mother’s Day and Easter.
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Hotel Chocolat said the sales growth was achieved through its digital channels and subscription services due to stores being closed for much of the period.
The retailer has agreed to repay £3.1 million it received from the government in furlough money thanks to the surge in sales.
“In the past year, we have added over one million customers to our database, an increase of 47 per cent. Our strong Easter is entirely thanks to them,” Hotel Chocolat co-founder and chief executive of Hotel Chocolat Angus Thirlwell said.
“It feels great to have our physical locations back open again and we have a strong pipeline of exciting new products to launch over the summer, including our Rabot Estate Coffee brand, Strawberries & Cream iced chocolate drinks for our Velvetiser system, and Neapolitan chocolate macarons for al-fresco dining.
“I’m pleased we are able to look forward to further growth and significant investment this year with strong job creation, particularly in our UK chocolate making and supply teams as we turn on extra capacity for our creamy tasting vegan Nutmilk chocolate, our globally popular chocolate macarons, and our Velvetiser flakes for drinking chocolate.
“I would like to commend our team on the commitment, dynamism and creativity they have all shown during the pandemic.
“They have not only adapted the business to the challenges we faced but have strengthened the brand and accelerated our business model and future growth prospects.”
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