Prestat

Prestat is a British premium chocolate brand and confectionery retailer with roots in London and a distinctive connection to the history of the chocolate truffle. The business was established in 1902 by Antoine Dufour, a French émigré whose family had developed the chocolate truffle in Chambéry, France, in December 1895. Dufour brought the confection to England and opened Prestat's first shop on South Molton Street in central London. Although the truffle had originated with the Dufour family, its broader public availability in Britain was closely associated with the opening and development of the Prestat business. Dufour named the company Prestat, apparently after Pierre Prestat, who was his wife's first cousin. Some early packaging used the form “P. Prestat.” The founder subsequently expanded the retail operation with shops at 405 Oxford Street and 28 St Swithin's Lane in the City of London. The company later passed to Dufour's son, Tony Dufour, who managed it until the late 1950s. Trading conditions during the Second World War contributed to the closure of the Oxford Street and St Swithin's Lane locations. Tony Dufour eventually sold the business to brothers Neville and Maxwell Croft. Prestat developed a reputation as a traditional London chocolate house, combining handmade or premium-positioned confectionery with gift-oriented presentation. Its best-known products include chocolate truffles, boxed chocolates, seasonal assortments and other praline or filled-chocolate formats. The brand's visual identity has also been an important part of its proposition. Its packaging was redesigned by artist and designer Kitty Arden; in 2000, Arden collaborated with handbag designer Lulu Guinness on a limited-edition handbag inspired by the Prestat shop. The business has received three royal warrants over its history. It became a purveyor of chocolates to Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 and to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1999, and it later received a warrant from King Charles III. These appointments support Prestat's positioning as a heritage British luxury and gifting brand, although royal warrants are institutional distinctions rather than endorsements of every product or commercial activity. Prestat's profile expanded beyond its own shops through distribution in prominent British department stores and food retailers. Its products have been sold through outlets including Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and the John Lewis Partnership, as well as specialist food shops. The brand's flagship store has been identified with 14 Princes Arcade in Piccadilly, and in March 2009 Prestat opened a presence in the Chocolate Hall at Harrods. The Economist named it among the world's three leading chocolate shops in 2003, further reinforcing its international luxury-retail profile. The brand also has a literary association. Roald Dahl featured Prestat truffles prominently in his novel My Uncle Oswald, where they serve as part of the story's fictional seduction plot. Prestat has additionally been associated with celebrity and notable customers across different periods, including Sarah Bernhardt, Sir John Gielgud, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Diana, Princess of Wales, Stephen Fry, Adrian Lester and Peter Mandelson. Since 15 March 2019, Prestat has been owned by the Italian chocolate company Domori, which is part of the Illy Group. Under this ownership, Prestat remains a London-rooted premium chocolate label with British retail heritage and international distribution. Its commercial identity rests on historical continuity, the cultural prominence of the truffle, luxury gifting, distinctive packaging and royal-warrant associations.

Prestat's origins are tied to the Dufour family and the development of the chocolate truffle in Chambéry, France, in December 1895. Antoine Dufour, a French émigré and member of that family, brought the new confection to England. In 1902 he established Prestat and opened its first shop on South Molton Street in central London. The business helped make the truffle more broadly available in Britain and built its identity around premium chocolate retail. The reason for the name Prestat is not completely documented. Antoine Dufour apparently chose it in reference to Pierre Prestat, his wife's first cousin, and early packaging sometimes used the designation “P. Prestat.” Dufour expanded the company with additional premises at 405 Oxford Street and 28 St Swithin's Lane in the City of London. His son Tony Dufour later inherited the business and ran it into the late 1950s. The Second World War created difficult trading conditions. The Oxford Street and St Swithin's Lane shops eventually closed, leaving the company with a reduced retail footprint. Tony Dufour subsequently sold Prestat to brothers Neville and Maxwell Croft, who continued the business and its association with traditional London chocolate-making. Prestat's heritage credentials were strengthened through royal appointments. The company received a royal warrant as a supplier of chocolates to Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 and another from Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1999. It later became associated with King Charles III as well, bringing the total reported number of royal warrants to three. These distinctions helped differentiate Prestat within the premium chocolate and luxury-gifting market. The brand's public profile grew during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. In 2000, designer and artist Kitty Arden worked with handbag designer Lulu Guinness on a limited-edition handbag based on the design of the Prestat shop. In 2003, The Economist listed Prestat among the world's three leading chocolate shops. The company's flagship retail presence became associated with 14 Princes Arcade in Piccadilly, while a further location opened in the Chocolate Hall at Harrods in March 2009. Prestat has operated through a mixture of branded retail and wholesale distribution. Its chocolates have been available through British luxury and department-store channels including Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and the John Lewis Partnership, alongside specialist food retailers. The brand has also exported to markets in Asia, the Middle East, continental Europe and elsewhere, including Japan, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. The company's cultural visibility extends beyond retail. Roald Dahl made Prestat truffles an important fictional element in My Uncle Oswald. The brand has also been associated with a number of notable customers, ranging from Sarah Bernhardt in the 1910s to theatrical figures such as John Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft in the 1950s, Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s, and later public figures including Stephen Fry, Adrian Lester and Peter Mandelson. On 15 March 2019, Prestat was acquired by Domori, an Italian chocolate company that forms part of the Illy Group. The transaction placed the historic London brand within an international premium-food group while preserving its identity as a British chocolate house. Prestat's current profile therefore combines a French-derived confectionery heritage, more than a century of London retail history, luxury packaging, royal-warrant associations and international distribution.

• 2019

  Acquisition by Domori

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  Domori, part of the Illy Group, acquired Prestat on 15 March 2019.

• 2009

  Harrods expansion

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  Prestat opened a location in Harrods' Chocolate Hall.

• 2003

  Recognition by The Economist

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  The Economist named Prestat among the world's three leading chocolate shops.

• 1999

  Second royal warrant

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  The company received a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

• 1975

  First royal warrant

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  Prestat became a purveyor of chocolates to Queen Elizabeth II.

• 1902

  Prestat is established in London

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  Antoine Dufour founded Prestat and opened its first shop on South Molton Street in central London.

• 1895

  The Dufour family develops the chocolate truffle

  [1]Prestaten.wikipedia.org

  The Dufour family is credited with creating the chocolate truffle in Chambéry, France, in December 1895, establishing the confectionery tradition later brought to England by Antoine Dufour.

Premium and heritage British chocolate, centered on truffles, luxury gifting, distinctive packaging and royal-warrant associations.

• Chocolate confectionery

  Chocolate truffles

  Prestat's signature category is the chocolate truffle, linking the brand to the Dufour family's late-nineteenth-century confectionery history. The range is positioned as premium gifting and is associated with the company's historic London chocolate-house identity.

• Gift confectionery

  Boxed chocolates

  Prestat sells boxed chocolate assortments designed for premium gifting. Presentation and decorative packaging are central to the product proposition, supporting distribution through luxury department stores and specialist food retailers.

• Chocolate confectionery

  Pralines and filled chocolates

  The brand's broader confectionery offer includes filled-chocolate formats such as pralines and assorted pieces. These products extend the range beyond truffles while retaining a premium, traditional chocolate positioning.

• Seasonal confectionery

  Seasonal chocolate collections

  Prestat's gift-oriented portfolio includes seasonal and occasion-based chocolate collections. Such products fit the brand's retail presence in department stores and its emphasis on presentation, celebration and luxury gifting.

• 2000Prestat shop-inspired Lulu Guinness collaboration

  United Kingdom

  Artist and designer Kitty Arden collaborated with handbag designer Lulu Guinness on a limited-edition handbag based on the design of the Prestat shop. The initiative connected the chocolate brand with fashion, design and collectible luxury accessories.

  Outcome. The collaboration became part of Prestat's packaging and design history, although broader commercial results were not reported in the available source.

  Source

• 2019

  Sale to DomoriM&A

  Background

  Prestat was an established London chocolate brand with royal-warrant associations, luxury retail distribution and exports to several international markets.

  Action taken

  Domori, an Italian chocolate company within the Illy Group, acquired Prestat on 15 March 2019.

  Aftermath

  Prestat became part of the Illy Group's premium chocolate portfolio while retaining its established British brand identity. The transaction value and subsequent operating changes are not reported in the available source.

  Source

• 2009

  Expansion into Harrods' Chocolate HallStrategy

  Background

  Prestat had developed a premium retail presence in London and distributed through leading department stores and specialist food shops.

  Action taken

  The company opened a location in the Chocolate Hall at Harrods in March 2009.

  Aftermath

  The move strengthened Prestat's visibility in a major luxury-retail destination. No specific financial outcome is reported in the available source.

  Source

1. 1Prestaten.wikipedia.org