Hotel Chocolat to recruit supply chain transformation manager

Hotel Chocolat is looking to appoint a supply chain transformation manager to support its growing online business.

The luxury chocolatier has created the role as part of the expansion of its online arm following its digital sales jumping 200% year on year in the fourth quarter. This came alongside a 47% year-on-year increase in sales of its subscriptions and recurring purchases, including refills for its Velvetiser in-home system.

The new recruit will be responsible for reviewing, challenging, redesigning and implementing new processes and tools within Hotel Chocolat’s supply chain. They will also be tasked with designing and introducing a reporting suite to ensure key stakeholders across the business have visible and accurate data readily available.

The supply chain transformation manager will report to director of fulfilment Robert Barrass, who joined the business in May after 16 years at Tesco. Barrass worked his way up the ranks at the supermarket from a planning and performance clerk, through to warehouse shift manager, operational support manager and head of distribution transformation in 2018.

Hotel Chocolat CEO and co-founder Angus Thirlwell told the Grocer Barrass’ skills had been “amazing to have around” during the coronavirus crisis. He added Barrass was also recruiting further team members to “drive through the initiatives and programmes of improvement he has planned”.

These positions include fulfilment operations manager, fulfilment planning manager and facilities manager.

The creation of the supply chain management role is part of Hotel Chocolat’s plans to “further digital capabilities to be able to triple the size of the online business,” said Thirlwell. “We want to take our digital capabilities further to something that has scope to be able to triple the size of the online business. That means we need to invest in it.”

Thirlwell added: “We’re optimistic, determined and allow creativity to come through and we’re quite excited about what we’re going to do next. We need to invest in better tech and more specialist people to manage that growth.”