Godiva, Istanbul, Turkey

Fashionable shoppers stroll Istanbul’s Nisantasi quarter, wandering in and out of the highest-end international luxury storefronts: Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior, Hermes, Gucci, Cartier.

A new player in the neighborhood has just opened shop, offering the same elegant surroundings and chic merchandising. But Godiva Chocolatier is not selling sparkling jewelry or thousand-dollar bags. It’s just merchandising its confectionery that way, with a store that cries out to the international sidewalk traffic: “We’re the diamonds and rubies of chocolate.”

“In fact,” says designer David Ashen of d-ash design (Long Island City, N.Y.), “the internal working name at Godiva for the store concept was ‘pirlanta’ – Turkish for ‘brilliant jewelry.’

”It’s a powerful message for a culture notorious for its sweet tooth. And who better to deliver it than Godiva, which has marketed itself as the gold standard for chocolate since its 1926 founding in Brussels? After 40 years as a division of The Campbell Soup Co., Godiva was acquired in 2008 for $850 million by Istanbul’s Yıldız Holding, which owns Ülker Group, the largest consumer goods manufacturer in the Turkish food industry. So Godiva not only has the international cachet (Belgium, New Jersey), but now also the Istanbul street cred.

“The key strategy is to make people think of Godiva when they think about chocolate,” Godiva ceo Jim Goldman told the Istanbul press.

However, shoppers in Istanbul had not had much exposure to Godiva chocolate, which previously was sold only at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport. “So our strategy was to give them an exciting chocolate retail experience,” says Linda Lombardi, Godiva’s vp, global store design and visual merchandising. In addition, she says, “the Turkish people are not particularly well-versed about chocolate. It’s not what they think of when they think of candy, or luxury, or gift-giving.” So the challenge of the store design was to tell an elegant, luxurious story with chocolate as the theme. “Our objective,” says Ashen, “was to make the consumer feel totally surrounded by all the emotions that chocolate conjures – pleasure, indulgence, comfort. Everywhere you turn, there’s a different way to enjoy Godiva.”

The two-level, 3000-square-foot space carries out the design brief right from the front door, a straightforwardly elegant geometry of glass panes and iron framework encompassing the simple all-caps Godiva logo.

The front-most third of the store is the retail experience. The perimeter walls are filled with back-lit niches all the way to the 16-foot ceiling, dramatically merchandised in luxurious presentations.

There’s a refrigerated glass drawer at the base of the wall displaying individual pieces, and boxed products above. “Shoppers can tour the store, creating their own custom boxes,” says Lombardi.

A “chocolate runway” runs up the middle of the space – a 16-foot-long table with a carrera marble top and espresso-stained wood base over which customer and salesperson can collaboratively put collections together.

The ceiling drops to 10 feet in the middle of the store, a cozy seating area serving coffee, tea and chocolate drinks that replicates the popular, casual Turkish sit-down café. “We wanted the store to be approachable, inviting and friendly,” says Lombardi. “We didn’t want them to see Godiva chocolates only for special occasions. The café provides that casual, everyday experience.”

The ceiling rises again, to 14 feet, in the rear-most third of the store, which serves as a gifting and consultation area for putting large catering packages together for parties, weddings, corporate events, etc. The corners soften into curves and the wall treatment becomes a delicious chocolate swirl.

“This part of the store addresses the Turkish culture’s expectation of high-level personal service,” Lombardi says. There’s even a VIP service area above the main room filled with curved couches, comfortable pillows, Turkish rugs and silver tables cast from traditional Turkish drums.

High-end silver platters and bowls are also sold here. “Turkish people like to give beautiful platters as engagement or wedding presents,” she says. “We want them to begin filling those platters with Godiva chocolates.”

Project Suppliers

Retailer: Godiva Chocolatier Inc., New York
Design: d-ash design, Long Island City, NY
Architect and General Contractor: Net Mimarlik, Istanbul, Turkey
Outside Design Consultant: Studio C Squared, New York (lighting)
Wood floors: Architectural Systems, Inc. / New York.
Stone Flooring: Granimer, Istanbul, Turkey
Wall tiles: Ann Sacks, New York
Glass Works: Gedik Cam, Istanbul, Turkey
Chairs/armchairs: Cenan Ahsap, Istanbul, Turkey
Graphics /vinyls: Ekografik, Istanbul, Turkey