High end chocolate retailer Hotel Chocolat has announced that it intends to float on the Alternative Investment Market, (AIM). AIM is the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller growing companies. A wide range of businesses including early stage, venture capital backed as well as more established companies join AIM seeking access to growth capital.  Since its launch in 1995, over 3,600 companies from across the globe have joined it.

The flotation is expected to go ahead in the second quarter of this year, with Hotel Chocolat looking to raise around £50 million.

Chief executive and co-founder Angus Thirlwell commented: "Hotel Chocolat is built on our core values of authenticity, originality and ethical trading. We are very excited at the prospect of listing as it is the next logical step in our growth plans and will enable us to accelerate the many initiatives that we have in place, in particular additional investment in our British chocolate manufacturing in new stores and in our digital offering."