Godiva closes its only store in Puerto Rico and another 127 in the United States

Godiva, the luxury chocolate chain, joins the group of companies that has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently announced that it will close more than a hundred stores in the United States.

The company operates a single store in Puerto Rico, which is located in Plaza de las Americas, and will be impacted after the corporate decision. The establishment has been in this shopping center since 2000.

In total, 128 Godiva in North America will cease operations during the first quarter of this year. The news comes less than two years after the corporation announced it planned to open 2,000 coffee-type businesses in different countries. The plan never materialized.

In announcing the closure of the Godiva in the US, the company merely said the decision was due to the impact the pandemic had on its operations. “We’ve always focused on what our consumers need and how they want to experience our brand, which is why we made that decision,” Nurtac Afridi, chief executive officer (CEO) said in a press release. “Of course, that decision was difficult because of the care we have for our dedicated chocolatiers and workers who will be affected,” he added, though did not specify how many employees will be affected by the decision.

Lovers of the famous Belgian chocolates will be able to continue buying them through their website, in retail stores that sell the brand or when traveling to the regions of Europe, China and the Middle East, as Godiva stores they will remain open there.

Another chocolate shop in Plaza Les Américas was hit by the pandemic and did not reopen its doors was Magritte Chocolatier. After nearly 40 years of operations at this mall, the business closed last summer impacted by declining revenues due to the temporary closure of operations and the accumulation of expenses.

There are also dozens of chain stores in the United States that have closed several stores or went bankrupt due to the economic blow caused by COVID-19. Among them figures: JCPenney s, Ann Taylor, Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, GNC, Brooks Brothers and restaurants like Sizzler and Ruby Tuesday, to name a few.