Portland, Ore. Chocolatier Moonstruck Chocolate Co. closed nine of its company-owned and -operated chocolate cafes located outside of the Pacific Northwest in order to focus on retail, online and business-to-business customers. The cafes closing include locations in San Francisco and Walnut Creek, Calif.; Champaign and Oak Brook, Ill.; Natick, Mass.; Clinton Township and Novi, Mich.; Short Hills, N.J.; and McLean, Va. The company’s five existing locations in the Portland area will continue to operate.

“This was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary for the overall success of the company,” says Dan Hossley, ceo of Moonstruck Chocolate Co. “These nine cafes were opened as part of a national retail expansion effort that has proved unsuccessful. Closing them will allow us to better serve our customers through our cafe business here in the Northwest, our B2B business across the country and our online sales.”