Suck on this, Toblerone! Whittaker’s opens its first store in Auckland International Airport
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Watch out chocolate lovers – Whittaker’s has opened up at Auckland International Airport.
The first permanent store is a huge step for the over 120-year-old company which has only traded through select stockists. The store is the latest to open in Auckland International Airport’s newly renovated retail area.
Intense gold hues fit with the sophisticated Whittaker’s branding, with share packs, gift ranges, classic blocks and destination/artisan blocks being available tax-free. And it’s a good location to set up the first shop: five billion of the $70 billion sold at Duty Free stores around the world is candy, making it “the ninth biggest chocolate market in the world effectively just behind France and just ahead of India“, according to Mondelez’s Tom Armitage.
Mondelez owns the quintessential airport chocolate Toblerone, but Whittaker’s has already taken on the global behemoth and won in this market after giving Cadbury a beating over the past few years, so it will be trying to do it again in the airport.
The Whittaker’s store will be operated by Lagardère Travel Retail, which already operates a number of stores for high-profile New Zealand brands
Przemek Lesniak, chief executive of Lagardère Travel Retail in the Pacific region says “we are extremely proud to have worked with Whittaker’s to develop this concept and deliver their first-ever retail store, reflecting Whittaker’s brand values. This is a true testament to our shared vision.”
The brand is family owned and with 100 percent of operations in New Zealand, it’s not surprising it has been voted our most trusted brand in the Reader’s Digest annual awards for many years.
Now, international travellers can stock up when they’re coming home or deliver the much-loved chocolate to overseas friends.
Jasmine Currie, Whittaker’s marketing manager, says the new store will give customers the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the brand.
“We are constantly hearing from Whittaker’s Chocolate Lovers about the high demand for Whittaker’s from friends and family overseas. The new Whittaker’s store will be the perfect convenience for any traveller who is in need of an authentic Kiwi gift.”