Godiva to move beyond chocolate

The Belgian confectioner Godiva will be rolling out 2,000 cafes over the next six years. They will serve a complete menu of items including an expanded list of coffees and a new collection of teas as well as grab-and-go items like sandwiches. The first one opened Wednesday in Manhattan.

The company, privately owned by Turkish Yildiz Holding AS,expects 40% of its total sales to come from the cafes in the next five years. One-third of the new cafes will be in the U.S.

Currently, the confectioner operates about 800 stores in 105 countries. But the fare is limited to boxed chocolates, chocolate-covered strawberries, ice cream and drip coffee. Some of the traditional stores will be converted into cafes, but Godiva is looking beyond malls and will also have stand-alone store fronts and airport locations.

Via AP