Italy’s Venchi luxury chocolate business expands with 30 new stores this Christmas
Pic: Venchi
Italian luxury chocolate and gelato manufacturer has confirmed a major expansion of its business, in opening a total of 30 new stores globally by the end of December, as it records a significant upturn in performance, writes Neill Barston.
Its latest locations including four sites in the UK, Singapore and Indonesia, eight in China, three in Japan and two in the USA, with a projected 40% increase in revenues by the end of the financial year.
The company’s London locations include Piccadilly, aLong Acre, in the heart of Covent Garden, Wardour Street, in the Soho district, and the newly renovated Battersea Power Station within the capital.
As the business explained to Confectionery Production, prior to the new opening, in London the Italian luxury chocolate and gelato manufacturer already counted six boutiques in Exhibition Road, King’s Road, Covent Garden, Hampstead, and Richmond. It can also be found at luxury wholesalers Harrods, Selfridges, Eataly, John Lewis and Fenwick.
All the Chocogelaterie represent the brand at its finest thanks to their colourful and fragrant shops, their vitality and style, the true “Made in Italy” experience and their iconic locations. The venues all exhibit different types of chocolate to “Pick & Mix”, the house-made gelato including the latest vegan options and its bestselling gelato flavours, tasty gelatoshakes , hot chocolates, crepes and coffees, and a wall of fame made of chocolate bars.
For two of its four new boutiques, the gourmet Italian chocolate brand has decided to exhibit the Chocoviar Wall: a wall made up entirely of the iconic Chocoviar collection, which represents the brand’s creativity at its finest. A true colour spectacle, the wall is populated with all available flavours from the collection, including Gianduia, 75% Chocoviar, Pistachio, Crème Brulée and Crème Suprema.
As the business noted, it has come a long way from its cosy workshop in Turin founded by Silviano Venchi in 1878 and from its first Chocogelateria ever, opened in 2007. Notably, the company has been present in London since 2012, when it opened its first boutique in Covent Garden, the second international store after Hong Kong.
Today, it has over 175 stores across 70 countries, but it is aiming to open a total of 250 by 2025. For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the brand has opened its last store at the airport Doha on the 9th of November. In 2023, Venchi will be continuing its global expansion opening stores in France, Malaysia and Australia.
Daniele Ferrero, CEO of Venchi, commented: “Growth calls for growth: this has been our core business model since the pandemic, and we have been pursuing our internationalisation ever since. Despite the global pandemic, we are counting on closing this year with an expected increase of 40% for 150 million euros in revenues. Venchi brings the true Italian tasting experience all over the world by elevating chocolate making to an art form, 100% Made in Italy.”