<p class="p1"><span class="s1">According to reports, Belgian chocolatier Godiva is preparing to exit the United States. The company will sell or close all 128 stores in North America.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">According to Fox 11 LA, Godiva stated it saw a decrease in in-person shopping <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/?s=pandemic&;post_type=post">amid the pandemic</a>. Though people may not be showing up to brick-and-mortar stores, online sales have increased, as well as sales through grocery, club and other retail partners.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">CEO Nurtac Afridi said in a written statement that the company has “always been focused on what our consumers need and how they want to experience our brand, which is why we have made this decision,”<a href="https://www.foxla.com/"> Fox 11 LA</a> reports.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Godiva also stated, “Of course, this decision was difficult because of the care we have for our dedicated and hard-working chocolatiers who will be impacted,&#8221; Afridi said. &#8220;We are grateful for all they have done to make wonderful moments for our consumers and spread happiness through incredible customer service.&#8221;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This comes after the company once desired to open 2,000 cafes around the world in over a six-year period. At the time, it was reported that cafes would expand beyond chocolate and would include baked goods, sandwiches, and coffee.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Retail stores will remain open in Europe, the Middle East and China.</span></p>
<p>As far as store closures, H&;M announced that it would also close stores but focus more on the online experience.</p>
<p>Even though H&;M is closing hundreds of stores, it sounds like officials plan to put more focus into their online offerings.</p>
<p>H&;M currently has more than 5,000 stores, and the upcoming closures will account for 5% of them.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Good thing they&#8217;ll still be available online.</span></p>
 <div class="wpra-reactions-wrap wpra-plugin-container" style="justify-content: center;;"> <div class="wpra-reactions-container" data-ver="1.3.10" data-post_id="72614" data-show_count="true" data-enable_share="onclick" data-behavior="regular" data-animation="true" data-share_url="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/godiva-to-close-all-us-chocolate-shops-due-to-pandemic/" data-secure="b649ce0b13"> <div class="wpra-call-to-action" style="color: #000000;font-size: 25px;font-weight: 600;">What Do You Think Roomies?</div> <div class="wpra-reactions wpra-static-emojis size-medium" style="border-color: #ffffff;border-width: 0px;border-radius: 50px;border-style: solid;background: #ffffff;">					<div class="emoji-8 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="8"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-10 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="10"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-4 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="4"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-5 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="5"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-2 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="2"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-7 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="7"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-12 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="12"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div> </div> <div class="wpra-share-wrap wpra-share-buttons-bordered" style="">				 </div> <!-- end of share buttons -->			 </div> <!-- end of reactions container --> </div> <!-- end of reactions wrap -->		
