Online sales drive another tasty six months for Hotel Chocolat
Revenue and profit before tax were up at Hotel Chocolat in the six months ended 27 December, with online growth offsetting the physical reduction in retail caused by the Covid-19 restrictions.
Revenue at the chocolate retailer was up 11 per cent to £101.9m and profit before tax stood at £15.5m, an increase of three per cent from the first half of 2020.
More than half (51%) of UK sales were made online during H2.
The number of UK customers shopping at Hotel Chocolat grew by 38 per cent in the six months, and in the US and Japan the customer base by 170 and 900 per cent respectively.
Hotel Chocolat co-founder and chief executive officer Angus Thirlwell said: “We certainly kept the chocolate flowing thanks to our online capabilities and multichannel expertise. We recorded superb results in the UK, USA and Japan despite Covid-19 restrictions affecting all our physical locations.
“We achieved sales growth during those periods when all UK physical locations were closed, demonstrating the brand’s appeal to our loyal customers, and our flexible business model.”