Chocolate war kicks off ahead of Valentine’s Day

The Yomiuri ShimbunWith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, retailers have kicked off their chocolate offensives in earnest. Valentine’s chocolate sales have plateaued in recent years due to a fall in demand for so-called giri choko — chocolate women give to their male colleagues out of a sense of obligation. Department stores and other retailers are now focusing their efforts on attracting women who buy Valentine’s chocolate for themselves as a reward.

Some department stores have expanded their dining areas so customers can eat the chocolate they bought at the stores.

Seibu department store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, opened a special section with a dining area for Valentine’s Day on Saturday, offering a total of 11 menu items. Last year, the special section mainly offered ice cream, but this year hot chocolate, chocolate pudding and other items have been added to the menu.

On Jan. 30, the Matsuya Ginza department store in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, plans to open a Valentine’s section where a wagashi Japanese confectioner will prepare chocolate-based sweets based upon customers’ request.

The sales space is set to be about 4.5 times larger than it was last year, with an expanded dining area and demonstration space.

According to the Japan Anniversary Association, it is estimated that Valentine’s sales decreased by 6 percent to ¥130 billion in 2018 from a year earlier.

According to a survey conducted in December by Matsuya Ginza, 36 percent of respondents said they will buy Valentine’s chocolate for someone they love. While 35 percent said they will buy obligatory chocolate gifts for work colleagues. 62 percent — the highest in the survey — said they will buy chocolate to treat themselves.

According to the survey, the respondents plan to spend an average of ¥1,033 on giri choko and ¥4,204 on chocolate for themselves.

Source: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005497319