Hotel Chocolat closes London store to protect stock from heatwave

Hotel Chocolat has implemented emergency measures to protect its stock following extreme temperatures in London, where thermometers exceeded 38 degrees Celsius. The chocolatier temporarily closed its Marylebone store for three hours to prevent products from melting and deployed additional air conditioning units and fans to other locations, including its London Bridge branch.

Chocolate is highly sensitive to heat and humidity, with the company noting that ideal storage temperatures range between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. Cocoa butter typically begins to melt between 34 and 38 degrees Celsius. The company confirmed that its proactive measures successfully prevented any products from melting during the heatwave.

The retailer, which was acquired by Mars for £534 million in January 2024, is among several UK businesses facing operational challenges due to the heat. Soaring temperatures have placed pressure on refrigeration systems and contributed to a decline in high street footfall, which fell 3.8 percent year on year in July according to the British Retail Consortium.