Hotel Chocolat Group PLC (LON:HOTC) has announced a jump in revenue, boosted by opening new stores and growing online buyers, and said it expects pre-tax profit to be in line with market expectations.
In a trading update for the 52 weeks ended 1 July 2018, the AIM-listed firm said its revenue was £116mln, a 12% increase compared to the same period a year ago.
READ: Hotel Chocolat sees profits, sales jump 15%, boosted by new store openings, digital growth
The chocolatier said the business opened 15 stores in the year, contributing 6% to year-on-year sales and added 200,000 new online buyers.
The company said it has developed a number of innovative new products for the upcoming autumn-winter season.
Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive officer of Hotel Chocolat, said: "Hotel Chocolat has had another strong year. Customers are continuing to respond well to our luxury brand and lifestyle propositions. During the recent heatwave in the UK, our new Chilled Chocolat drinks, unique Chocs to Chill, Ice Cream of the Gods and improved Cocoa Beers have been very popular.”
He added: "The deep knowledge of our School of Chocolate-trained retail teams and our experiential Chocolate Lock-in sessions continue to underpin the allure of our multi-channel model."