The “Chocolate Administration” refers to the collapse of Marasu’s Petit Fours, the manufacturing heart of the iconic Prestat brand. In early February 2026, the company officially entered administration, marking a turning point for the UK’s luxury chocolate sector.
This isn’t just one company going bust; it’s a symptom of a much. arger “Cocoa Crisis” that is forcing a total rethink of how high-end chocolate is made and sold in Britain.
1. The Core Event: The Fall of a Royal Favorite
Prestat is legendary—it was the chocolatier to the late Queen and the creative spark for Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
- The Filing: Marasu’s Petit Fours (the factory) and Prestat (the brand) appointed administrators after 124 years of history.
- The Store Closure: Their flagship shop in Piccadilly, London—a historic landmark—has closed its doors forever.
- The Rescue: A “pre-pack” deal was struck with L’Artisan du Chocolat (owned by Polus Capital Management). They bought the brand for a “nominal sum,” meaning they saved the name but not necessarily the old way of doing business.
2. Why it’s “Reshaping” the Industry
Industry experts are watching this closely because the factors that killed Prestat are currently squeezing every other British chocolatier.
The Cocoa Price “Whiplash”
Between 2024 and early 2025, cocoa prices quadrupled, hitting over $12,000 per ton due to catastrophic harvests in West Africa.
- While prices have started to stabilize (dropping to around $5,000 recently). Many luxury brands are still stuck in high-cost contracts or have exhausted their cash reserves.
- The Result: Smaller, “craft” brands can no longer afford to be independent. We are seeing a “consolidation” where big investment firms buy up heritage brands to save them.
The Death of the Physical Boutique
Prestat’s move to an online-only model is a massive signal.
- Maintaining a high-rent shop in London while raw material costs are volatile is becoming impossible.
- The “Chocolate Administration” proves that even “Royal Warrants” and 100 years of history aren’t. Enough to sustain a physical shop when consumers are shifting to digital gifting.
The Pivot to “Texture and Tech”
To survive, the industry is moving away from “traditional truffles” toward trends that go viral on social media.
- The “Dubai Chocolate” Effect: Brands are now prioritizing “multisensory” experiences—think heavy textures, pistachio crunches, and “visual spectacles”—to justify the higher prices (now often £5+ per bar).
- Supply Chain Transparency: New regulations (like the EU Deforestation Regulation) are forcing brands to prove exactly where their beans come from, adding more cost to the production line.
3. What this means for you (The Consumer)
If you’re a chocolate lover in the UK, you’ll likely see these three things through the rest of 2026:
- Shrinkflation 2.0: Not just smaller bars, but “reformulated” recipes with more fruit, nuts, or “blonde chocolate” (caramelized white chocolate) to use less expensive cocoa solids.
- The Rise of the “Micro-Gift”: Since a full box is now a “luxury investment,” brands are pivoting to high-end “single-serve” treats.
Fewer High Street Shops: More of your favorite premium brands. Will likely vanish from physical streets and reappear as “web-only” boutiques.