Hotel Chocolat Boutique sweetens the line-up at St David's
The St David’s Partnership, owners of St David’s in Cardiff, one of the UK’s premier retail and leisure destinations, has announced the signing of luxury chocolatier and cocoa grower, Hotel Chocolat.
The internationally renowned British chocolatier will open a 1,874 sq ft store on St David’s Way, opposite Boots and adjacent to Tiger. With over 100 shops and a presence across the globe including in New York, Saint Lucia, and Tokyo, the brand has now selected St David’s to launch their latest boutique. The St David’s store which spans two floors will be designed by an in-house team.
Speaking on behalf of the St David’s Partnership, a joint venture between Landsec and intu, Colin Flinn, intu’s regional managing director - west, said: “Hotel Chocolat is a well-loved British brand which we have no doubt will be warmly welcomed by visitors to St David’s. Securing such a highly-regarded offer reaffirms the centre’s position as the prime choice in the UK for leading brands.”
Peter Harris, Co-founder, Hotel Chocolat added: “We can’t wait to share our passion for world-class chocolates with the diverse shoppers and strong footfall that St David’s commands.”
Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris built Hotel Chocolat on three unwavering pillars: authenticity, originality and ethics. One of the few chocolate makers to grow their own cocoa on their eco-conscious plantation in the grounds of our Saint Lucia hotel, they connect the world of sustainable cocoa agriculture with the hedonism of top-quality chocolate.
This signing follows the news that International lifestyle, clothing and accessories retailer, FatFace, has doubled its store footprint with the installation of a brand-new mezzanine level for Menswear. In addition, Danish shoe retailer, ECCO, has relocated its store to the Upper Grand Arcade and Diamond Heaven has opened a new store at St David’s Way.
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Nick Thornton at Aver on 07808 940208, or via email at nickthornton@aver.uk.com
Amy Cassidy at Aver on 07786 025417, or via email at amycassidy@aver.uk.com
About St David’s Cardiff
St David’s shopping centre provides over 1.4 million sq ft of retail and leisure space and over 180 stores. Since opening its doors in 2009, it has put Cardiff firmly on the map as one of the UK’s best shopping cities and has an annual footfall of 37 million; one of the largest in the UK.
St David’s has secured a continuous stream of high calibre retailer and restaurant openings over the past five years, including many brands that have made their debut or introduced new concept stores into Wales such as Superdry opening its first dedicated Superdry Sports entrance in the UK. Recent brands also include Bershka, Slim Chickens and Daniel Wellington.
St David’s is anchored by Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and the largest John Lewis outside of London. The centre is also home to a mix of national and international retailers, such as Primark and River Island, in addition to premium brands and independents. These include Hugo Boss, Radley, Vivienne Westwood and Jo Malone. The dining offer at St David’s is equally impressive, with brands such as Wahaca and wagamama.
About intu
intu owns and manages some of the best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations, in the UK and Spain.
Our UK portfolio is made up of 17 centres, including eight of the top-20, and in Spain we own three of the country's top-10 centres.
We are passionate about creating compelling experiences, in centre and online, that make our customers smile and help our retailers flourish.
We attract over 400 million customer visits and over 25 million website visits a year offering a multichannel approach that truly supports retail strategies. In 2017, we launched the UK's first tailor-made promotional services model to help brands as they look to optimise their portfolio or expand their UK coverage.
Our strategic focus on prime, high-footfall flagship destinations, combined with the strength and popularity of our brand, means that intu offers enhanced footfall, dwell time and loyalty. This helps our retailers flourish, driving occupancy and income growth.
We are committed to our local communities, with our centres supporting over 120,000 jobs (representing about 3 per cent of the total UK retail workforce), and to operating with environmental responsibility. We have already met or exceeded a significant number of our 2020 environmental targets.
intugroup.co.uk
@intugroup
About Landsec
At Landsec, we believe great places are for people to experience and are made with the experience of great people.
As one of the largest real estate companies in Europe, our £13.8 billion portfolio spans 24 million sq ft of well-connected, experience-led retail, leisure, workspace and residential hubs, with a growing focus on London. From the iconic Piccadilly Lights in the West End and the regeneration of London’s Victoria, to the creation of retail destinations at Westgate Oxford and Trinity Leeds, we own and manage some of the most successful and memorable real estate in the UK.
We aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues – from diversity and community employment, to carbon reduction and climate resilience. We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities. At Landsec, everything is experience.
About Hotel Chocolat | hotelchocolat.com
Luxury British cocoa grower and chocolatier Hotel Chocolat was founded in 2004 to make exciting chocolate with three guiding principles – authenticity, originality and ethics – that remain central to the brand’s success today. With its Rabot Estate cocoa plantation and Boucan Hotel & Restaurant on Saint Lucia, a chocolate manufacturing facility in Cambridgeshire and stores and cocoa cafés across the UK and internationally, Hotel Chocolat occupies a unique space – being able to link all aspects of chocolate from the tree to the consumer.
The brand is constantly evolving. In 2011 Hotel Chocolat opened a boutique hotel in the grounds of Rabot Estate on the island of Saint Lucia, which is also home to Boucan restaurant and its pioneering menu of ‘cacao cuisine’. In 2013, we opened two cocoa cuisine restaurants inspired by Boucan: Rabot 1745 in London’s Borough Market and Roast+Conch in Leeds. Both restaurants reconnect the world of cocoa growing with the luxury of eating it.
Recent awards include: ranked first amongst the ‘Coolest Hotels of 2015’ by the Caribbean Journal; won Gold for Best Flavoured Milk Chocolate Bar (Hotel Chocolat Borough Market Blend Gin Bar 65%), Best Filled Chocolate – Alcohol (Hotel Chocolat Single Malt Cardhu Whisky) and Best Flavoured Drinking Chocolate (Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramel) plus four Silver and seven Bronze awards at the Academy of Chocolate Awards 2015; several wins at The Great Taste Awards; Five Bubble Review for the Roast+Conch restaurant on TripAdvisor; Cocoa Juvenate Best Body Moisturiser at the Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards 2013; number one spot in ‘The Sunday Times Fast Track 100’; one of the UK’s prestigious ‘CoolBrands’ for the fourth year running; Boucan Hotel named by Condé Nast Traveler Hot List 2012 as a top new hotel – “understated luxury with a hint of sex appeal” – and Hotel Chocolat named as the ‘most advocated’ British brand in the UK in research by Bain & Co 2011.