HOTEL CHOCOLAT EXPANDS IN AMERICA AND JAPAN

HOTEL Chocolat is ploughing money into expanding in the US and Japan amid soaring demand for its upmarket chocolate.

It posted a 13pc jump in sales to £80.7m in the 26 weeks to December 30 following a bumper Christmas.

Strong sales lifted profits to £10.8m, up 7pc compared with a year earlier. The firm has been using profits to open its first stores in New York and Tokyo, which have so far proved popular.

Angus Thirlwell, chief executive of Hotel Chocolat, said sales were also boosted by its ‘Velvetiser’ hot chocolate maker and a new customer loyalty scheme called VIP Me.

‘This has been another period of progress for Hotel Chocolat with strong growth in sales, profits and cash generation,’ he said.

Thirlwell, 55, pictured, co-founded Hotel Chocolat in 1987 when he started selling mints with his business partner Peter Harris.

They established the Hotel Chocolat brand in 2003. It now has 118 stores across the UK and Ireland after opening 14 new stores last year.