Chocolate administration: London’s leading luxury chocolatier plunges into administration
Marasu's Petit Fours, one of the capital’s largest producers of premium chocolates, has entered administration, with administrators brought in early this month and the situation confirmed on February 17 (ET). The move marks a sharp turn for a business that has supplied high-end retailers and food chains from a sizeable production base in west London.
Background and scale of operations
Established in the mid-1980s by patissiers Rolf Kern and Gabi Kohler, Marasu's built a reputation for artisan confectionery made at scale. The firm operates from a Park Royal facility covering roughly 25, 000 sq ft and produces in excess of 300 tonnes of chocolate a year. That capacity positioned the company as a key supplier to a number of the country’s best-known retailers and food outlets.
The business became part of a larger group in the 2000s, expanding its reach while retaining a focus on premium products. Its output has served both luxury department stores and mainstream chains, helping to bridge the gap between artisan craft and commercial supply.
Market pressures, cocoa costs and recent corporate moves
Executives point to a combination of long-term market shifts and short-term shocks for the company’s troubles. Disease outbreaks and adverse weather in major cocoa-producing countries pushed global cocoa prices to record highs in 2024, squeezing margins across the industry. While prices have eased as demand softened, the earlier spike left many chocolatiers exposed.
At the same time, efforts to move into higher-end cocoa varieties increased input costs and left the company vulnerable to cheaper competitors. Those pressures coincided with wider difficulties for the group that owns Marasu's, which recently closed a central flagship shop as part of a pre-arranged corporate restructuring. The closure and subsequent prepack arrangement prompted the appointment of administrators for the manufacturing arm on February 6 (ET), with the status made public on February 17 (ET).
Under the terms of the corporate restructuring, parts of the wider business were sold to a private ownership group in a deal designed to preserve some brands while restructuring liabilities. The manufacturing business now faces the immediate task of stabilising operations for customers and staff while administrators assess options.
What happens next for staff, suppliers and customers
The administrators will evaluate the company’s assets, contracts and ongoing orders to determine whether the business can be sold as a going concern, wound down in an orderly fashion, or restructured. One outcome being discussed is a scaled-back operation focused on online sales rather than a full retail estate, which could preserve parts of the brand and production capability.
For clients who rely on Marasu's for plated chocolates, seasonal lines and private-label products, continuity of supply is likely to be the immediate priority. Administrators typically work to maintain trading where feasible to protect value, but uncertainty will persist until a buyer or restructuring plan is finalised. Staff and suppliers face a period of instability while those negotiations continue.
Industry observers say the case highlights broader stress in the luxury confectionery sector: volatile raw-material costs, shifting consumer demand, and intense competition from lower-cost producers all combine to make scale and cost control decisive. For a manufacturer built on artisan techniques but operating at commercial volumes, balancing premium positioning with tight margins has proved difficult in the current market environment.
As administrators progress with assessments, the focus will be on preserving orders where possible, finding investment or buyers to sustain production, and protecting jobs. The outcome will be watched closely by retailers, suppliers and competitors who rely on the specialised capacity that the company built up over nearly four decades.
