AN UPMARKET chocolatier has started advertising vacancies at its proposed new store in Llandudno, which it wants to open early next year.

Hotel Chocolat has applied to Conwy County Borough Council to fill unit 8B at Parc Llandudno Retail Park, which has been vacant since Laura Ashley closed there during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has yet to receive approval from the council’s planning committee, but earlier this month shared the position of store manager on various jobs websites.

In the attached job description, it states that the Llandudno store is “opening in February 2025”, and adds that it will be open seven days a week.

The company, which was founded in 1993 and has been trading under the Hotel Chocolat name since 2003, has about 125 stores across the UK.

If successful, the premises would include its “Velvetiser” café and a gift store, meanwhile.

Extracts from a planning statement, submitted by agents WSP Planning in June, read: "Hotel Chocolat intends to use unit 8B as part of its emerging format to complement existing smaller units that are typically located in more traditional town centres.

“The occupier will lay out part of the ground floor to accommodate their in-house 'Velvetiser' cafe and will have some back-of-house circulation space and storage behind."

Hotel Chocolat’s nearest current store to Llandudno is in Chester.

For the plans to be approved, changes would need to be made to terms and conditions which prohibit the sale of food at some of the retail park’s units.