An invitation to the opening of a chocolate store is usually not the most exciting event if you live in Switzerland, unless the opening is in Dubai. If you have ever been to Dubai you know that you can expect everything from the world biggest fireworks to the world’s most expensive diamonds to golden cars…So, I put on a flashy suit, packed my camera and prepared myself for some surprises.
The surprise was that the store really looks like every other store in Switzerland, the chocolate and Luxemburgerli taste the same (well, that was not really surprising) and the whole crowd was speaking Swiss German…It felt like being back home which usually is a nice thing, but I was hoping for a little more extravaganza to be honest. I mean, it is the first store and café outside of Switzerland ever for Sprüngli and if you want to stand out in this city of superlatives you should hire the Stones and not some guys with Alphorns…but then again it might not have been appropriate for a brand like Sprüngli, which prides itself on a long tradition and Swiss values.
So how was it then? It was a solid event, well organised and if you love chocolate it must have been heaven on earth. And for the Swiss expat community it is a relief to know that you are not depending on your guests to bring some Luxemburgerlis from the airport in Zurich anymore.
It will be interesting to see if a great product can establish itself in a place like Dubai without a prime location and all the marketing buzz or if the first store should have opened with a bang in the Dubai Mall despite all the expenses…
Routail 