Premium British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat has announced £132m ($164m) revenue in its trading update for the 52 weeks ended 30 June 2019 (FY19), a 14% increase compared to the 52 weeks ended 1 July 2018.
Operationally, the Hotel Chocolat Group opened 16 Hotel Chocolat store locations in the year, contributing 5% to Group sales year-on-year. Two of the new openings were in the USA. In addition, the Group entered into a joint venture in Japan which opened two locations in Tokyo.
Management of the Group plc expects the omni-channel retailer’s pre-tax profits will be in line with market expectations. Trading since FY19 continues to be in line with management’s expectations.
Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive officer of Hotel Chocolat, said: “I’m really pleased with our performance this year, delivering strong growth across all parts of the Hotel Chocolat multi-channel, direct-to-consumer model. New activities in the year included openings in the US and Japan; the launch of the Velvetiser - our in-home drinking chocolate system; and the introduction of our VIP ME rewards card scheme, all of which present substantial future growth opportunities.
“Our pace of innovation is relentless. In our drinks and ices range we are seeing the most prolific new product Instagramming in our history, with Billionaire’s Sundaes, Choc Shakes and Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Lollies generating lots of excitement”.
The Hotel Chocolat Board expects to announce the Group’s preliminary results for FY19 on 24 September 2019.