Haigh’s Chocolates to close shop at Chatswood Chase shopping centre
Chocolate lovers could soon be in for a shock as Haigh’s Chocolates announced plans to close one of its Sydney stores.
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Chocolate lovers could soon be in for a shock as Haigh’s Chocolates announced plans to close one of its Sydney stores.
The luxury chocolate brand has confirmed it will close the doors to its retail outlet at the Chatswood Chase shopping centre after operating at the site for the last seven years.
It is understood the store – which offers a range of artisan produced goods – will close soon after the busy Christmas period.
But in a silver lining for chocoholics, a spokeswoman for Haigh’s has confirmed the company was planning to open another store a short walk away in the Victoria Ave retail strip.
A spokeswoman said the new store planned at 318-320 Victoria Ave was expected to open before the Chatswood Chase outlet was closed.
The announcement comes as Chatswood Chase has seen a long list of tenants close their doors in recent months, partly due to major redevelopment works at the site.
Figures by Vicinity Centres – which operates the centre – shows 22 shops closed in the last financial year including Williams Sonoma, Sutcliffe Meats and Fruitezy.
The redevelopment works at the site has involved reconfiguring the lower level of the shopping centre to make way for a new food market and dining precinct.
The Haigh’s spokeswoman declined to comment on the redevelopment works, but said the decision to close the store was part of a “longer term strategy”.
“The opening of any new store is a significant investment and (the decision to) relocate to street frontage on Victoria Ave is part of a longer term strategy,” she said.
Vicinity Centres has meanwhile confirmed a range of new stores were expected to open at Chatswood Chase as the development works are completed.
The list of new stores includes Pattison’s Patisserie, a new fish market, butcher and an Asian supermarket.
Haigh’s Chocolates was founded in Adelaide in 1915 by Alfred Haigh and has grown to employ more than 600 people.
It currently operates four other retail outlets in Sydney including Bondi Junction, Castle Towers, the CBD and Miranda.
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