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

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

The company operates a single store in Puerto Rico, located in Plaza Las Américas, and will be affected by the corporate decision. The unit has been in that mall since 2000.

In total, there will be 128 Godiva in North America that will cease operations in the first quarter of this year. The news comes less than two years after the corporation announced plans to open 2,000 coffee businesses in various countries. The plan never materialized.

When it announced the closure of Godiva in the United States, the company simply said the decision was due to the impact the pandemic had on its operations. “We have always focused on what our consumers need and how they want our brand to experience it, which is why we made this decision,” Nurtac Afridi, CEO, said in a press release. “Of course, this decision was difficult due to the concern we have for our dedicated chocolates and the workers who will be affected,” he added, although He did not specify how many employees will be affected by the decision.

Lovers of the famous Belgian sweets can continue to buy them through their website, in the retail stores that sell the brand or when traveling to European, Chinese and Middle Eastern regions, as Godiva stores will remain open there.

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

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