Chief executive Colm Sorensen, who was in the UK this week, said: âWeâre across very frequently at the moment, although we havenât signed for a site yet. We would be disappointed if we couldnât open at least one outlet this year.â
Sorensen said he hoped to open up to 10 stores in southeast England within the next three years and that he was considering a number of different formats.
Butlers Chocolate, which generated sales ofÂŁ30 million last year, trades from 53 sites in the Republic of Ireland that range from 1,400 sq ft standalone shops to in-store concessions, including one in Dublin department store Arnotts.
A Butlers Chocolate spokeswoman said: âWe are not planning any expansion in Ireland this year â our concentration will be on the UK.â
Sorensen denied that a move to the UK would represent a threat for potential competitors such as Hotel Chocolat, partly because of its in-store cafĂ©s. âWe sell coffee as well, so weâre not really in the same market,â he said.
Sorensen added that the fact that it sells chocolate and coffee âdifferentiates it entirelyâ from coffee shops such as Starbucks.
Last year, Butlers opened the first of two international stores in New Zealand that operate as a franchise. It also has a transactional online presence, which has been operational since 1998.
Butlers Chocolate, which opened its first retail store in the Republic of Ireland in 1989, targets affluent confectionery shoppers. It also sells gifts to corporate customers, with a minimum order ofÂŁ363, which includes free delivery in Ireland.
The company was founded as a chocolate manufacturer by Mrs Bailey Butler in 1932 and was bought by Seamus Sorensen in 1959.
Most of its stores are in the Dublin area, with city centre shops on Grafton Street and Henry Street among others. It also operates shops in Galway and Cork and has a presence in stores across the country.
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