Lindt & Sprüngli expands Kilchberg site
Lindt & Sprüngli has opened the largest Lindt Chocolate Shop to date on its factory premises in Kilchberg, with an area of 400 square meters. At the same time, the company is planning to build a Chocolate Competence Center on the site at a cost of CHF 80 million.
In the new Lindt Chocolate Shop, customers can not only buy chocolate, but also visit the "Lindt Experience," a live show with tasting, and there is also a multimedia photo point for souvenir photos and, from June 2016, an illustration "en miniature" about chocolate production. Lindt & Sprüngli operates over 300 of its own stores worldwide. In Switzerland, the stores are mainly located in popular tourist spots.
The planned competence center will be realized by the "Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation" and is intended to "contribute to the long-term safeguarding of competence and further development in Switzerland as a chocolate location," indt & Sprüngli announces. The project combines research and development as well as presentation and knowledge transfer on the subject of chocolate.
In addition to rooms for training and further education, the competence center therefore also includes a chocolate museum with multimedia elements and a Chocolateria where visitors can make their own chocolate.
The Basel-based project by architects Christ & Gantenbein emerged as the winner of the preliminary architectural competition. The renowned architectural firm has a great deal of experience in the construction of museums and will realize the Chocolate Competence Center on behalf of the foundation. The corresponding building application was submitted to the building authority of the Kilchberg municipality in December 2015. The plans envisage a building with three upper floors, two basement floors and a generous exterior design. (ah)
