Hotel Chocolat shuts as second Ipswich closure in two days
Hotel Chocolat's Tavern Street store permanently closes today – just a day after FatFace confirmed it, too, is leaving Ipswich town centre.
Why it matters: Two long-standing national retailers have announced closures in as many days, marking a difficult week for Ipswich's town centre and high street.
The details: A notice in the window of Hotel Chocolat's Tavern Street shop reads: "Thank you, Ipswich. We will be closing our doors on August 20, but you can still get your chocolate happiness at hotelchocolat.com".
Hotel Chocolat has traded in Ipswich since 2018, making it a mainstay in the town centre for around eight years.
For context: The upmarket chocolatier and cocoa grower, trading through more than 120 locations across the UK as well as international outlets including Denmark, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York, faced a period of losses leading up to 2023 amid international expansion struggles and inflation. It was acquired by global food and drink conglomerate Mars in early 2024 and taken private to rebuild its profitability.
The bigger picture: The closure comes a day after FatFace confirmed its Butter Market store will shut on Saturday, 5 September, after almost two decades trading in the town. A notice in that shop's window read: "Thank you for shopping in our Ipswich store. Our last day here is September 5, 2026."
Oliver Rouane-Williams
The bottom line: Hotel Chocolat's exit from Tavern Street ends an eight-year presence in Ipswich, and lands just a day after FatFace's own closure announcement – two blows in quick succession that the town will need to quickly bounce back from.
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