Chocolatier Hotel Chocolat has unveiled a surge in half-year sales as it shrugs off the high street gloom with new openings and a promising international push.
Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive, launched a defence of physical shops in the face an onslaught from online retail, revealing the retailer had “stress-tested” its store estate to make sure it could survive a downturn.
Even in a pessimistic scenario that included a steep fall in sales and rising cost pressures, it found its shops would still generate significant earnings growth over the next five years.
