Hotel Chocolat saw its pre-tax profit climb 7% to £14.9m in the six months to 29 December, on revenue up 14.7% to £91.7m.
The firm stated that its strong sales growth reflected its continued brand appeal and ongoing product innovation. The retailer also opened nine new stores in the UK and launched two further outlets in the US and three in Japan.
Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hotel Chocolat, said: “This was another strong period for Hotel Chocolat. Our new store openings contributed three percentage points of the growth in the period, with the remaining balance coming from existing locations, digital and wholesale channels.
“While our new markets in the US and Japan are still in the early stages of development, consumer response to the brand is encouraging, sales are growing, and we believe we have a deliverable plan to achieve attractive returns.”
Hotel Chocolat also grew its VIP membership scheme where the number of active members jumped 120% to 1.1 million. The company also invested in its digital proposition and supply chain.
Thirlwell added: “Our strong growth came from a wider variety of sales channels than in previous years, which led to some initial challenges in our supply chain. We are now making good progress with investments and upgrades in our supply chain which will fully address these inefficiencies and increase our international and multichannel supply capability, ensuring we continue to deliver profitable growth.”
