Godiva – part of the pladis group – has added a store in Oxford, UK, while Swiss firm Lindt has opened an own-brand shop in Nashville, Tennessee, US.
Godiva’s first UK store outside of London
Godiva opened a store in Oxford on Friday last week, its first UK branch outside of London.
The store is located in the recently renovated Westgate Shopping Center and will employ eight people.
Godiva said it is the first of several Godiva boutiques set to open across the country in the coming year.
Burak Elmas of Godvia said: “The UK is one of the few major countries in the world that Godiva doesn’t currently have a true national presence, but we’re on a mission to change that, and opening these new boutiques across the country forms a major part of that plan.”
Godiva now operates 12 stores in the UK.
The premium chocolate brand will enter 500 Sainsbury’s stores in the UK as part of a global strategy to enter mainstream retail. Godiva is aiming to become a $2bn global brand by 2022.
Lindt’s latest US store
Premium chocolate rival Lindt also this month expanded its own-store network, which its former CEO previously said was the secret to its success.
It opened a Lindt Chocolate Shop at Opry Mills in Nashville, Tennessee on November 17, 2017.
Lindt USA now operates 65 retail stores in the US.
Lindt is aiming to be the world's leading retailer of premium chocolate by 2020 and plans to open between 20 and 30 new shops each year.
The group’s global retail segment – which also includes Ghirardelli and Russell Stover branded stores - grew sales +12.7% in 2016 to CHF 434m ($443m).
The retail segment accounted for 11% of total group sales in 2016.