Jerónimo Martins to close 18 Hussel chocolate shops
The closure of the 18 Hussel shops is expected to be completed by 30 April. The insolvency of the German partner, increased rental costs and rising cocoa prices weighed heavily on the decision.
Jerónimo Martins will close its network of 18 Hussel chocolate and confectionery shops by 30 April. The approximately 60 employees have been “guaranteed job stability in one of the other companies” in the group that owns the Pingo Doce supermarkets, according to a statement from the distribution chain.
The retailer said the decision was due to a “set of factors”, whose “lasting impact led to the understanding that the company was facing an unsustainable situation with no reasonable prospects of reversal”, such as the insolvency of its German partner and the sharp rise in rents and cocoa prices.
The insolvency in 2024 of Hussel GmbH – Jerónimo Martins’ German partner in Hussel – put an end to the partnership on which the operation in Portugal was based, generating “supply problems and loss of scale”, the company said in the statement. “In a context of sharply rising costs — especially those related to rents — these difficulties ultimately proved insurmountable”, it points out.
The group adds that “the strong and continued pressure on cocoa prices induced by a combination of factors, notably the decline in production in major producing countries (while global demand continues to increase), the impact of adverse weather conditions on harvests and the growing regulatory trend (brought about in particular by the announced implementation of the European Regulation Against Deforestation)”.
The network will be closed by 30 April. The employees — “around 60 people, most of whom are permanent staff”, according to an official source at Jerónimo Martins speaking to ECO — will be integrated into other companies in the group in Portugal.
