Hotel Chocolat has launched a formal redundancy consultation and told staff their jobs are at risk.

The company, which has 125 branches including Gloucester and Cheltenham, said the plans are part of its "journey towards sustainable success for the years ahead".

The official consultancy process began on 21 February when staff were told the process "may lead to changes or to them leaving the business", according to aleaked letter seen by Grocery Gazette.

In it the UK chocolate business said it was "operating with a backdrop of calmer growth plans and increasing costs".

The letter added: "In line with the shape of our future plan we've taken steps to build more collaboration, cost-efficiency and profitability into our model. The next major step on this journey is organising ourselves for sustainable success in 2023 and beyond.

"The decision to impact colleagues is not taken lightly. This means we need to make some changes to the way we organise that may involve fewer members of the team. Our business plan has evolved to focus on more careful growth, and we will now work through a formal consultation process."

The business recently revealed plans to expand its retail footprint in London over the next three years following a sales growth of 10% in the run up to Christmas.

A Hotel Chocolat spokesperson said: "We recognise this is a difficult time for our team as we consult with them on the proposal, and we are supporting them at this time. This decision has not been taken lightly.

"After careful consideration, the changes we are proposing are part of the next phase in our journey towards sustainable success for the years ahead."