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Guylian plots sweet revenge with aggressive cafe and retail expansion in Australia

Belgian chocolate maker Guylian is planning an aggressive expansion of its cafe and retail chain to 30 outlets nationally, which it says will boost sales of its boxed chocolates on the shelves of supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths.

The growth, from three Sydney stores currently, is being bankrolled by South Korea’s Lotte Confectionery which acquired Guylian in 2008 for AUD164 million. Lotte Confectionery is South Korea’s largest snack foods company and one of the largest manufacturers of chewing gum in the world.

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe operations director Patrick Freriks said on Tuesday the group aimed to have 30 outlets across Australia by 2019 as part of a twin strategy to generate higher sales through the cafes, and to increase throughput on the shelves of Coles and Woolworths as the brand’s profile lifted.