Yahoo Finance Hotel Chocolat's tills ring as heatwave boosts demand for chilled treats
The hot weather has sweetened sales at Hotel Chocolat by boosting demand for ice cream and chilled chocolates.
Sales at the upmarket chocolatier have climbed 12pc to £116m for the year to July 1, helped by customers seeking out cold treats amid the recent heatwave.
Angus Thirlwell, chief executive and co-founder, said sales of chilled chocolates inspired by milkshakes, cocktails and ice creams had been standout performers in recent weeks.
He said: “At Hotel Chocolat we prefer not to have prolonged hot weather, but it is part of our armory of tactics to make sure that whatever the economic backdrop or temperature, we can put our best foot forward.”
The retailer, which was founded by Mr Thirlwell and Peter Harris in 1988, raked in 200,000 new online customers over the period. It also opened 15 stores, which lifted group sales by 6pc.
Hotel Chocolat is bucking the bitter conditions engulfing the high street by opening more bricks-and-mortar sites as troubled rivals close stores.
A push to find new ways to encourage customers into shops following the rise of online shopping has led to a wave of experimentation on the high street.
Mr Thirlwell said its chocolate lock-ins - events where customers can try new products in-store once the shop has closed - had “stimulated advocacy and loyalty” among its customers.
He added: “(The chocolate lock-ins) have underpinned the sales performance rather than providing a direct attributable revenue stream in their own right.
“But we are very committed to it, and we can certainly see how we can keep building the experiential revenue stream.
“You have to bear in mind that we have the ultimate experiential model, which is our hotel in St Lucia in the Caribbean, where you can stay among the cocoa groves”.
Investors sent shares up 1pc in the lunchtime trade to 350p. The retailer said full-year pre-tax profits would be line with market expectations.
