Hotel Chocolat Group PLC (LON:HOTC) said Monday it has opened its first store in Japan, further delivering on its strategy to grow in international markets.
The sweet-treats retailer’s new store in Japan is located at Tokyo’s Aeon Lake Town shopping mall, the country’s largest.
Read: Hotel Chocolat shares gain as full-year results exceed estimates
AIM-listed Hotel Chocolat has been operating a joint venture in Japan, which is led by Chris Horobin, who had previously served as chief executive of QVC Japan.
The British chocolatier said in September it planned to open stores in Japan and in the US as part of its “test, learn, grow” approach of expansion. The company also has a partnership in Scandinavia.
Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and CEO of Hotel Chocolat, said: "The reaction to Hotel Chocolat in Japan on our first day of trading last week was hugely encouraging. Customer engagement, media attention and sales performance were all well ahead of expectations.”
The company’s full-year results released in September were slightly ahead of its expectations.