Mars, a multinational manufacturer of food products, completed the acquisition of Hotel Chocolat, a chocolate manufacturer, for £534m. "Hotel Chocolat's brand destiny is to become a leading premium chocolate brand in major markets through reinventing chocolate for people and nature. In Mars we have found a true meeting of minds - in strong cultural values, bold strategy and true long-termism. The pillars on which we have built the Hotel Chocolat brand - originality, authenticity and ethical trading, is precisely what brought Hotel Chocolat and Mars together and our intention is to strengthen and invest behind these. I'm excited about the future of the business and in Mars we have found an excellent long-term steward of the Hotel Chocolat brand and everything we stand for," Angus Thirlwell, Hotel Chocolat CEO.