Ackermans Chocolates closes after 50 years, Royal Warrant withdrawn
The Goldhurst Terrace shop founded by Jewish refugees lost its royal endorsement and ceased trading two decades after a half‑century of operation
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The Harrow Times reported that Ackermans Chocolates, a boutique confectioner on Goldhurst Terrace, closed roughly twenty years ago after a five‑decade run. The closure followed the loss of its Royal Warrant and the disappearance of its storefront.
Founding and early growth
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According to the Harrow Times, Werner and Lotte Ackerman, Jewish émigrés from pre‑war Berlin, opened the shop on Goldhurst Terrace after World War II. Their first premises opened in 1956 and the business survived the end of chocolate rationing in 1953, building a reputation for dark‑chocolate specialties.
Royal Warrant and royal customers
The newspaper noted that Princess Alexandra first discovered the shop, followed by Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. In 1968 the Harrow Times said the business was awarded a Royal Warrant, permitting the use of the royal crest on packaging and the title “Confectioners by Appointment to HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.”
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"Chocolate assortments would be hand‑delivered to both Kensington Palace and Clarence House on request and as a result, the Ackermans were awarded the Royal Warrant in 1968."
Nicholas Rose, grandson
1990s expansion and final years
The Harrow Times reported that after the founders retired, a young Swiss patissier, Werner Krattiger, bought the business. He moved production from the basement to a Camden industrial estate where, as the paper recorded, the firm produced 4,000 kilograms of chocolate each week, a stark increase from the modest output of the original team.
Krattiger’s tenure ended with his death in 1992, after which the brand changed hands again. The Harrow Times explained that Charbonnel et Walker acquired a majority stake in the late 1990s, but the Royal Warrant was withdrawn after the Queen Mother died in 2002. The Goldhurst Terrace shop subsequently vanished.
Questions this report answers
+When did Ackermans Chocolates receive its Royal Warrant?
The Harrow Times reported that the shop was granted a Royal Warrant by the Queen Mother in 1968. The warrant allowed the business to display the royal crest and to use the title “Confectioners by Appointment to HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother”.
+How much chocolate did the business produce in the 1990s?
According to the Harrow Times, Swiss patissier Werner Krattiger expanded production to 4,000 kilograms of chocolate per week at a Camden industrial estate. This output marked a significant increase from the earlier, smaller‑scale operation.
+When did the Goldhurst Terrace shop close?
The Harrow Times stated that Ackermans Chocolates closed about twenty years ago after operating for fifty years. The closure followed the loss of the Royal Warrant and the disappearance of the storefront.
+Who took over the business after the founders retired?
The Harrow Times reported that the Ackermans sold the business to Werner Krattiger, a young Swiss patissier, after the founders retired. Krattiger moved production to Camden and later the brand changed hands again in the late 1990s.
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