The coronavirsua pandemic has hit another big business hard. Chocolate maker Godiva has announced that it will close all of its 128 stores in North America at the end of March. All but 11 are located in the United States. The company did not report on the number of lost jobs.
But Godiva doesn’t go out of business entirely. Customers in the United States will be able to order the firm’s chocolate online or buy it from a variety of retail chains. In addition, the Belgium-based company will maintain stores in Europe, the Middle East and China.
In 2019, Godiva presented a business plan aimed at creating a chain of branded cafes. According to the plan, more than 400 such establishments were planned to open in the USA. In addition to chocolate, they could buy coffee, sandwiches and pastries. But these plans were not destined to come true due to the pandemic. “Personal shopping has fallen into disrepair as a result of the pandemic,” the company said in a statement. “It further accelerated the change in purchasing strategy.” Most of Godiva’s stores are located in shopping centers (malls) that have experienced difficulties even before the pandemic.
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bitter chocolate