Milk, Dark, Or Designer? Is Chocolate The Way To Gen Z's Wallet?

Image courtesy: louisvuitton.com

It’s an age-old dilemma for luxury brands – how to attract new clients, particularly the younger generations and the less affluent. In recent years, luxe Maisons like Hermès and Celine have expanded their offerings into beauty lines that provide an affordable entry point to experience a brand.

Now, however, a couple of brands – not coincidentally we suspect – under the LVMH umbrella are selling chocolates. Not the color chocolate, chocolate diamonds, the Chanel chocolate bar handbags, nor Louis Vuitton’s wood box designed to resemble real chocolate. We’re talking about actual edible delights.

In 2022 Louis Vuitton opened a cafe and chocolate shop in Paris called Cafe Maxine Frédéric after its pastry chef. Visitors may enjoy lunch at the café, or order some chocolates to-go.

This year, Louis Vuitton added to its sweet offerings with two new (so far) chocolate shops in Asia, first in Singapore and then, this summer, in Shanghai, China.

Image courtesy: louisvuitton.com

Fashion accessory and jewelry brand Bulgari also opened chocolate shops in Asia – Dubai, Tokyo, and recently Shanghai. A Bulgari fan might be unable to splash out for a Serpenti watch, but a piece of chocolate could be in the budget.

Image courtesy: bulgarihotels.com

To be fair, LVMH does shoulder a coterie of hotels, under its Cheval Blanc brand. Maxime Frédéric is the famed head pastry chef there. It also owns the upscale Belmond Hotels, which offer food and beverage service on the premises. Bulgari also has branded hotels, but these are outside LVMH control, as would the chocolate shops.

Of course, the practice of boutiques offering customers refreshments while shopping is nothing new. Many hand out water like it’s, well, water. Hermès is generous with cappuccino and espresso for shoppers, sometimes with a treat. VVIP special occasions may warrant Champagne. Hermès, Dior, and Tiffany (also owned by LVMH) now include cafes in some stores.

However, entering the consumable goods market as a seller rather than as an accommodation seems different. It’s a taste of luxury without the cost. On the other hand, chocolate is a purchase destined to disappear quickly.

Would you buy chocolate from your favorite fashion brand? (No doubt we’d all take a free piece as a mid-afternoon treat) More to the point though, at least for these luxury Maisons, is whether a delicious piece of cocoa would make you more inclined to splurge on the more expensive items. Put differently, is the way to Gen Z’s wallet through its stomach.