Major summer upgrades for Hotel Chocolat premium confectionery series

A significant revamp of Hotel Chocolat’s core premium chocolate ranges has been unveiled alongside additional new summer flavour selections, as it unveils key product expansions, writes Neill Barston.

The British confectionery business, which is now under the ownership of the Mars group, has gained notable market share in UK markets, and is now seeking to re-establish itself on a global footing.

Its latest summer series, available in nine and 18 piece formats, comes amid key new research revealing that consumers are seeking chocolate during the summer – with 95% agreeing they would seek out products in the category all-year round.

As the company confirmed, the Summer Desserts Boxed Selections are filled with patisserie-inspired selectors including Passionfruit Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue and Orange Cheesecake to bring summer to life through cacao.

Among the series are Ice Cream Swirls and Cocktails to Chill that reimagine chocolate as a summer picnic treat, and are now on general release, with prices from £2.95. Furthermore, Seasonal Sundaes and Ice Cream of the Gods – infused with cacao – are also available at our Velvetiser Cafes.

Teresa Peck, Head of Global Category Strategy at Hotel Chocolat, welcomed the new series.

She said: “We’re celebrating chocolate being grown in a subtropical area through this seasonal range. As there’s often a feeling of chocolate and summer not going hand in hand, but I’d argue chocolate belongs in summer due to its origin. So, that’s why we’ve developed summer focused products to help consumers enjoy chocolate during the sunny season through what we’re defining as the ‘Festival of Cacao’.”

H-Box re-imagined
For just over two decades the brand’s flagship Sleekster and H-Boxes were right at the core of the business, but have recently been replaced with newly-redesigned offerings across the portfolio.

Its latest boxed series spans everything from three-piece products, to its range-topping 58-piece selection box, which each reflect the company’s ‘more cacao, less sugar’ approach. 

As the company observed, its key range refresh has marked a meaningful shift toward gifts as unique as its recipient. With the outer design representing the Love Match flavour profiles, allowing customers to tailor to their giftees tastes.

Teresa Peck, Head of Global Category Strategy at Hotel Chocolat, said: “It’s a bold decision to remove our recognised Sleekster and H-Boxes that our customers come back for, but the gifting landscape has changed. Ultimately, if we want to stay leaders in premium chocolate gifting, we have to continue being inventors and not become scared of change – especially when it’s change for good.”

“We’ve listened to what customers want when buying a chocolate gift. We tick the top two boxes of consumers wanting to gift a brand that has a good reputation (47%) and high-quality ingredients (46%). The third most important factor was the feeling associated with it, as 45% want to give something that’s elevated and not an everyday treat.¹ Our research showed there isn’t a clear price bracket consumers typical stick to when buying chocolate presents. So, our goal was to create the complete chocolate gift at multiple price points to ensure accessibility for everyone.”