Lindt pulls plug on Dubai chocolate store over Iran war concern

Lindt'y planned flagship store has been shelved Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Premium Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli has pulled its project for a flagship store in Dubai over concerns about the regional impact of the war in Iran.

Lindt’s plans for the combined museum and retail outlet have been suspended “in light of the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East,” the Kilchberg, Switzerland-based company said in a statement.

The store had been a long time in the making, with chair Ernst Tanner telling Swiss newspaper Blick in February that it had taken two years to reach a deal with the government.

The original idea was to export its House of Chocolate, which at its headquarters features a nine-metre high chocolate fountain, to other locations across the world. It opened similar boutiques in London and Vienna this year.

But the decision to spike those plans, which has not previously been reported, was made because of worries about investing in Dubai during a tourism slump.

Lindt said in July that Mideast tensions were impacting volumes in its travel retail business, as fewer passengers flew through Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In April, Tanner said that the opening of the store in Dubai was envisioned for the second-half of 2028, with ground breaking still to come.

The region remains an important market and Lindt will continue to monitor developments and reassess the project as soon as the situation on the ground changes, the company added.

–With assistance from Fabienne Kinzelmann.

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