The century-old candy brand will offer interactive classes, a design-your-own confection station, a full-service chocolate bar and retail shop at its location off Lower Broadway.

ECRM is launching 2021 Global Market: Food & Beverage, a new product discovery experience that will bring together retail buyers and product suppliers from around the world to meet face-to-face on June 28 through July 2.

British chocolatier and retailer Thorntons announced it will close 61 retail stores as a result of continued pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic.

ECRM says top-tier buyer participation has also grown over 20 percent since before the pandemic as retailers and foodservice operators have embraced virtual.

Owners of Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier have announced plans to take over a former GODIVA Chocolatier store at the Saint Louis Galleria in St. Louis, Mo.

GODIVA announced in January it would leave its 128 North American stores through sales and closures in order to focus on its online and food, drug and mass retail sales.

Retail property developer Washington Prime Group has opened three new Shelby’s Sugar Shop stores in shopping centers in Ohio and Washington.

In a departure from plans announced in 2019 to open 2,000 GODIVA locations worldwide, the chocolatier said it will instead continue its “aggressive focus” on food, drug and mass retail and online sales.

Hershey has launched the Hershey Insights Network, which provides solutions for its retail partners to engage shoppers and enhance their overall experience both in-store and online.