Prestat – 14 Princess Arcade

Just from a chocolate and online marketing perspective I really didn’t like Prestat. The Heart of Chocolates Valentine’s selection box was uninspiring and they’re trying too hard to get new customers online. I’ve got some of their Orange Truffles to review and recently bought three bars from their Princes Arcade shop. This is what I’m going to report on here.

Location
The Prestat Princess Arcade shop is located just along from Fortnum & Mason and down from Charbonnel et Walker and is very handily placed for tourists and the like. It’s just 19 minutes walk from Oxford Circus tube station, 4 from Piccadilly tube station and 5 minutes from Green Park tube station.

Score: 10/10

Appearance
I’m in two minds about the Prestat brand. All I can say is don’t visit the store with a hangover – it’s incredibly garish. I can’t even remember what colour the walls were, but I’ll hazard a guess at bright pink and the shop windows are full with bright blue, green and yellow boxes – I suppose it sets them apart from the brown-fronted shops that most of their competition have.

Score: 7/10

The Walk In
I was tempted not to go in because of my negative pre-conceived thoughts of the brand and that the staff would be as aggressive as their marketing department. But a moment hovering on their doorstep I saw the friendly-looking staff – their pleasant disposition sucked me through the door.

When I got in I witnessed a kaleidoscope of colours. I didn’t know where to look first. I walked around the corner into a vestibule to catch my breath and settle down. As I regained my composure I started to interact with their products and started to enjoy looking at the fruity options.

Score: 7/10

Selection
The store isn’t huge. Its smaller than the typical garage but they still managed to fit in a counter stuffed full of chocolate assortments as well as part of a wall dedicated to chocolate slabs and boxed truffles. I parted with two of their Prestat branded bars and one of the mint Choxi+ bars.

Score: 7/10

Staff
There were two young ladies behind the counter who enticed me in with their friendly smiles. They also let me get on and have a nose around without interrupting. They couldn’t actually wonder too far as the shop was so small, but I knew they were emotionally ‘there’ if I needed them.

I didn’t spend too much, but I knew they weren’t going to try and pressure me by trying to up-sell as I just presented the three cheapish bars as my purchase.

Score: 9/10

Prices
The prices are reasonable. They don’t appear to be as ‘handmade’ as the smaller operations, which probably lets them reduce costs, but if you’re buying for a present and don’t want to pay too much but still want to impress someone with the packaging then they’re great to choose. It’s just that you could buy better.

Score: 7/10

Taste Test
I wasn’t impressed with the Heart of Chocolates Box, but I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve reviewed the bars that I bought.

What Would I Give Up To Have Some More?
n/a/

Can You Buy Online?
Yes, here.

In The Press

• The Smart Shopper – London Evening Standard – 11th February 2010