Japan Partnership Agreement
03/01/2023 07:00
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RNS Number : 4072L Hotel Chocolat Group PLC 03 January 2023
3 January 2023
HOTEL CHOCOLAT GROUP PLC
("Hotel Chocolat", the "Company" or the "Group")
Japan Partnership Agreement
Hotel Chocolat Group plc, a premium chocolate maker, today announces that it
has signed a new strategic partnership agreement with Tokyo-based Eat Creator
Corporation.
● The agreement supports Hotel Chocolat's global strategic ambitions, applying
the key business learnings from the first four years of trading in Japan.
● Eat Creator will be providing growth capital, new supply side know-how and
proven expertise in food brand development for the Japanese consumer.
● Hotel Chocolat will hold 20% equity in the newly established vehicle, with
brand royalty revenues going to Hotel Chocolat PLC.
● 21 branded Hotel Chocolat stores will initially be within the newly
established vehicle, supported by a customer database of more than 200,000
registered Japanese consumers
Satoshi Nagasuna, Eat Creator Corporation CEO, commented:
"Like many Japanese people, I have watched the positive impact that the Hotel
Chocolat brand has made in our market over the last four challenging years.
When the opportunity presented itself to become directly involved with the
business, we realised that our skills would be a good match with what was
needed to take Hotel Chocolat Japan to the next level. We are excited to get
started."
Angus Thirlwell, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Chocolat,
said:
"Our new partner is well equipped to optimise the brand's potential for Japan,
bringing proven expertise, new capital and a natural alignment on brand
values. We are looking forward to combining the ingredients of Eat Creator
with the ingredients of Hotel Chocolat into a powerful recipe for our next
chapter in Japan."
Enquiries:
Hotel Chocolat Group PLC Tel: +44 (0) 1763 257 746
Angus Thirlwell, Co-Founder and CEO
Peter Harris, Co-Founder and Development Director
Matt Pritchard, CFO
Liberum (Nominated Adviser and Sole Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000
Clayton Bush
Edward Thomas
Miquela Bezuidenhoudt
Citigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7638 9571
Angharad Couch
Alex Winch
Notes to Editors:
Hotel Chocolat is a premium British chocolate maker with a strong and
distinctive D2C brand. The business was founded by Angus Thirlwell and Peter
Harris, who are still executives within the business, and has traded under the
Hotel Chocolat brand since 2003. The Group is unusual in being a grower
(organic cacao farm in Saint Lucia), a manufacturer (Cambridgeshire) and
owning its extensive direct to consumer channels (branded stores, websites).
The Group was admitted to trading on AIM in 2016.
Eat Creator Corporation is an innovative company that continues to take on the
challenge of creating the next generation of food culture.
Their mission is to create culture, content, and operating systems in the
field of food, with various partners.
Current Eat Creator concepts in Tokyo include Neki, Social Kitchen,
Unis, BANK kabutocho, Songbook, Teal and Ease.
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