Godiva shutting down all of its chocolate stores nationwide

The chocolatier has stores in Cincinnati and Columbus
Godiva is planning to shut down all of its chocolate stores in North America by the end of March, although its candy will still be available online and at other retailers. FILE

Credit: FILE

Credit: FILE

Godiva is planning to shut down all of its chocolate stores in North America by the end of March, although its candy will still be available online and at other retailers. FILE
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Jan 25, 2021
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High-end Godiva Chocolatier is shutting down all 128 of its existing stores in the U.S. and Canada, with a target closing date by the end of March, company officials have announced.

The luxury chocolatier operates a store in the Kenwood Towne Centre Mall in northern Cincinnati and two stores in Columbus, in the Tuttle Crossing Mall and in Easton Town Center.

Multiple news outlets reported the planned closings over the weekend and this morning, Jan. 25.

The chocolates will still be available for ordering online, and is carried by a number of other retailers, including Kroger, Costco, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy and Target, according to the company’s web site.

The company is closing or selling all 128 of its brick-and-mortar stores in North America, it announced in a statement. It plans to complete the closures and sales by the end of March.

Godiva will keep its bricks-and-mortar stores open across Europe, the Middle East and China.

According to cnn.com, Godiva had been planning a massive expansion by getting into the café business. The chocolatier opened its first café in the U.S. in New York City in April 2019 and announced that it planned on opening 10 more in New York and more than 400 across the country. It was part of a plan to open 2,000 new cafes around the world.

But that plan never came to fruition, CNN reported. Godiva relied heavily on mall traffic, which had been weakening even before the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.