Hotel Chocolat opens new South London store - locals oppose plan for booze-fuelled chocolate tasting
Hotel Chocolat has unveiled plans to hold tasting events with booze at a new branch in South West London. The luxury chocolatier opened a new boutique store and café in Richmond town centre in December, as it prepares for a major expansion across the UK.
Hotel Chocolat has applied to Richmond Council to sell booze at the new venue, on George Street, from 9am to 9pm every day. Alcohol would be available to buy at the store to take home, if the plans are approved, and to drink at special tasting events over the year.
The tasting events would be ticketed and held in the store after hours, with no more than 20 events allowed every year. Guests would be offered an alcoholic drink on arrival, while they could take part in chocolate tastings, including alcoholic chocolates, watch demonstrations and take up exclusive offers.
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But the plans have faced opposition from Friends of Richmond Green, who raised concerns people would leave the shop intoxicated after these events and disturb neighbours. The venue falls in a Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), where the granting of licences is strictly limited to avoid adding to disturbance in the area.
A letter from the community group to the council proposed conditions to address these concerns, including banning tasting events from taking place on weekends and when there are major events at Twickenham Stadium. The group also proposed limiting the number of people allowed at the events to 20, banning people aged under 25 from attending and making sure water is available for guests.
Although these conditions were agreed by Hotel Chocolat, the council's legal officers removed and reworded some of them after ruling they were not all appropriate. The revised conditions would allow people aged under 18 to attend the events accompanied by an adult, while those appearing under 25 would need to show ID before being served booze. Event tickets would be limited to the number of seats available in the café, while up to 20 events could be held at the store in a year.
Peter Willan, from Friends of Richmond Green, raised concerns at the changes at a licensing hearing on January 24, as he argued the group's proposals were 'sensible'. But Mr Willan added: "We want Hotel Chocolat to be successful. I think it really is important that we have a premises like Hotel Chocolat in Richmond in George Street."
Licensing consultant Andrew McGrath, representing Hotel Chocolat, said the agreed conditions would address the group's concerns. He added that booze sold in the venue for customers to take home would be weaker and available in smaller bottles than people could find in nearby shops, while samples provided at the tasting events would be 'tiny'.
Hotel Chocolat recently announced its plans to expand further across the UK, after it was bought by Mars in 2023. The company is planning to open another 25 stores over the next year, along with two international branches as it prepares to expand in the US. Richmond Council will publish its decision on the application in the coming days.
Got a story? Email charlotte.lillywhite@reachplc.com.
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