Lindt chocolate retailer opening third New Zealand shop at Sylvia Park, plans more

Swiss chocolate retailer Lindt will tomorrow open its third New Zealand shop at Sylvia Park, after opening at Auckland Airport’s Mānawa Bay retail outlet centre and Queenstown.

A statement from Lindt & Sprungli announced its new shop.

Sylvia Park was one of the fastest-growing hubs for Auckland shoppers, it said.

“Lindt’s new boutique addition joins the likes of Ikea to bring variety and indulgence for shoppers,” it said.

Sylvia Park is New Zealand’s largest retail centre and owned by Kiwi Property Group.

“Ahead of the Christmas season, the new store will host all the favourite Lindt delights,” the statement said.

Sylvia Park where Lindt tomorrow opens a new store. Photo / Alex Burton

That will include:

• Lindt Advent calendars, teddies and hampers with seasonal treats. 
• A Lindor pick-and-mix station. 
• The full new range of Lindt Dubai-style chocolate, including dark and white variations – the latter new to New Zealand.
• Lindt chocolate drinks and crema gelata ice cream. 

Lindt last year opened at Auckland's Mānawa Bay. Thomas Schnetzler told of his love for chocolate then. Photo / NZME

The new Mt Wellington store will offer the full Lindt experience, the company said.

The statement said the mall got 16 million customer visits annually.

“As we head further into the Christmas season, foot traffic is expected to surge. Lindt is delighted to be at the heart of such an important part of the Auckland shopping experience. The Sylvia Park store is a boutique store, and gives chocolate lovers a more intimate, curated experience.”

The Lindt store in Mānawa Bay, when it opened last year. Photo / NZME

Lindt is understood to be planning to open further shops in New Zealand.

However, nothing is confirmed.

When the first Auckland store opened at Māngere, shoppers lined out the door, eager for a sweet treat and to catch a glimpse of one of only five Lindt master chocolatiers, Thomas Schnetzler, in action.

Lindt master chocolatier Thomas Schnetzler at the opening of the Lindt store in Mānawa Bay. Photo / Ben Dickens

Speaking to NZ Herald Focus, Schnetzler described the store as “chocolate heaven”.

“What we always try to achieve in our stores is really create a bliss moment. It’s a perfect destination for someone to indulge or find a gift for a chocolate lover,” he said last year.

Schnetzler, who trained in Switzerland as a patissier and confiseur at the renowned Confiserie Reber, said it was too hard to pick a favourite flavour.

“I can’t pick a favourite, that’d be like sacrilege,” he said last year.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

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