Hotel Chocolat tastes success after sales surge over Christmas season

Hotel Chocolat enjoyed a boom in sales over the festive season, as buyers flocked to the luxury sweet maker in spite of a swathe of challenges facing much of Britain’s retail industry.

Total sales for the 13 weeks to the end of December jumped by 15 per cent compared with the same period last year, with the group seeing growth across both its retail and digital outlets.

The retailer, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim), saw its share price bounce nearly five per cent in early morning trading.

Co-founder and chief executive Angus Thirlwell said that the results showed “another strong Christmas for Hotel Chocolat.”

Thirlwell said that the “Velvetiser in-home hot chocolate system” and its new Chocolat Cream Liqueur had both seen particularly strong sales growth during the Christmas period.

He added: "Initial customer response to our new location in New York and joint venture store in Tokyo has been very encouraging, demonstrating the global appeal of the Hotel Chocolat brand and its ability to travel overseas."

The firm said that trading since December continues to be in line with management's expectations.