Hotel Chocolat is about to become a lot easier to find outside of Chicago. The British chocolatier, which began building its U.S. retail presence in the city in 2025, is opening 49 airport concession locations this fall and pushing into supermarket chains and new state markets — even as Chicago's airports, O'Hare and Midway, are left off the list.
Airports From Coast to Coast, Minus Chicago's Own
The airport rollout includes major hubs like John F. Kennedy International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, according to the Chicago Tribune. The concessions are the result of a new partnership with Paradies Lagardère, the paper reports. Notably absent from the list this fall are O'Hare and Midway airports, despite the company's Chicago retail presence.
Kelly Goering, general manager of Hotel Chocolat US, said the company hasn't ruled out a Chicago airport presence down the line. Chicago may get one more store if the right location comes along, Goering said, per the Tribune's reporting, though the paper notes the company may not open new Chicago stores in the near future.
Grocery Aisles and New State Markets
Beyond airports, Hotel Chocolat is entering the grocery business in a big way. The company will enter Wegmans, H-E-B and Kroger supermarkets, the Tribune reports, with displays set to launch at several supermarket chains in November. Locally, that includes nine Chicago-area Mariano's locations spanning Northbrook, Glenview, Wheaton, Vernon Hills, Elmhurst, Palatine, Lake Zurich, Westchester and Skokie, where displays will feature advent calendars and assorted stocking stuffers.
The retail push extends well beyond grocery shelves, too. Hotel Chocolat will open new stores in Virginia, Utah and California this fall — in Alexandria, Salt Lake City and Long Beach, according to the Tribune. Goering indicated the company plans to fill in more stores in those three new markets before expanding to additional cities, and said long-term retail growth will be informed by how those new markets perform. The Tribune notes Hotel Chocolat had previously outlined plans to open 70 to 100 stores across the U.S. within five to seven years, and with the fall additions the company is set to reach nine total U.S. locations by year-end. The brand is also expanding its digital sales this fall, per the same report.
A Chicago Story With British and Caribbean Roots
Hotel Chocolat's Chicago chapter began in April 2025, when the company launched its first local store in Lakeview, followed by three more Chicago-area locations that same year. It added two more suburban locations in 2026, opening in Hubbard Woods that April and at Oakbrook Center in August, and the company also operates a U.S. flagship on North Michigan Avenue.
Founded in 2004, Hotel Chocolat says it bought a rundown cacao estate in Saint Lucia back in 2003 to learn how to grow cacao firsthand, a Caribbean connection the brand still leans on in its branding, according to its U.S. website. The company describes itself as offering an immersive chocolate retail experience, including a Wall of Chocolate featuring bite-sized flavors priced at $8 per serving or $20 for three, plus a Velvetiser café serving what it calls a continental take on hot chocolate. Mars, which operates a Chicago-based candy division, owns Hotel Chocolat after completing its acquisition of the British chocolatier.
Why the Timing Makes Sense
The expansion arrives as the broader premium chocolate category keeps growing. The global premium chocolate market was valued at $32.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $47.8 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual rate of 4.9% from 2026 to 2033, according to Grand View Research. Hypermarkets and supermarkets already account for 35.3% of premium chocolate revenue, the research firm found, which helps explain Hotel Chocolat's grocery-aisle strategy alongside its airport bet. The U.S. held the largest country-level share of the premium chocolate market in 2025, per the same report, even as Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region through 2033.
