Careers at Godiva Chocolatier

MISSION

Godiva Chocolatier Inc (“Godiva”) seeks to secure its place as the world’s foremost producer and retailer of Belgian chocolate products, providing unique, high-quality products to a global customer base.

FOUNDING STORY

Godiva was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1926 by members of the Draps family. The family opened their first Godiva shop in the Grand Place in Brussels, taking the brand’s name from the legend of Lady Godiva.

The Godiva business grew steadily over the proceeding 30 years, and in 1958 the company launched its first international store on Rue Saint Honoré in Paris.

The company’s expansion continued throughout the 1960s and in 1966 the company began operating in the US, selling its products at malls and shopping centres. Godiva was acquired in 1967 by the Campbell Soup Company, under which it opened its first US outlet in 1972 on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

By 2007, Godiva had grown into one of the largest chocolatiers in the US, recording annual sales of approximately USD 500 million.

In December of that same year, the Campbell Soup Company announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell Godiva to Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding. The acquisition was completed in March 2008, for a reported consideration of USD 850 million.

Godiva remains a major player on the international luxury chocolate market. It continues to sell Belgian chocolate products across an international network of stores, including across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and operates production facilities in Belgium and the US.

Business model of Godiva Chocolatier

Customer Segments

Godiva sells its products to a broad range of commercial and consumer customers around the world.

The company’s principal customers can be organised broadly into the following segments:

  • General Consumers, comprising members of the general consumer population, primarily middle income and higher income consumers who enjoy shopping for luxury products;
  • Corporate Customers, comprising companies, business people, and commercial enterprises that utilise the company’s business gift offerings; and
  • Retailers and Wholesalers, comprising speciality retailers, distributors, and other retailers of confectionery products which sell the products on again to other retailers or to end consumers.

Godiva sells its products to an international customer base through outlets across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

Value Propositions

Godiva provides value to its customers in the following ways:

  • Reputation and History – Godiva has a long history of producing chocolate products and authentic Belgian heritage dating back to the early twentieth century, both of which add to the company’s reputation as a high-quality producer of chocolate products;
  • Quality Products – Godiva offers a wide range of high quality chocolate products that it produces at its manufacturing facilities in the US and Belgium using premium ingredients and a traditional recipe;
  • Luxury Experience – Godiva has positioned itself as a provider of luxury products, offering customers a high-end experience including luxury packaging and excellent customer care;
  • Broad Sales Reach – Godiva operates an extensive network of hundreds of retail outlets across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, and operates an online store through which customers can browse and order products at their convenience; and
  • Experience and Expertise – Godiva is led by an experienced team of senior executives who have worked in the consumer goods industry for many years.

Channels

Godiva’s principal sales channel for its products is its network of stores across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. According to one source, the company operates more than 450 boutique stores worldwide, with 153 stores across North America alone, including outlets and mini shops across local malls nationwide.

These stores are staffed by sales professionals who deal directly with customers. The company also opened its first café in Brussels in 2018.

Godiva additionally operates an online store through which customers are able to browse products, make purchases, and schedule deliveries at their convenience and without interacting with any sales personnel directly.

The company offers a similar sales experience via telephone orders and through six seasonal catalogues released in the US throughout the year. Godiva sells products to retailers and wholesalers through a dedicated commercial sales force.

Godiva’s sales channels are supported by its manufacturing, distribution, and storage infrastructure across its operating regions. The company notably operates two core manufacturing plants in Brussels, Belgium and Reading, Pennsylvania, the US.

Customer Relationships

Godiva’s principal point of contract with consumers is through its network of stores and cafes, which are staffed by sales personnel who are on hand to deal directly with customer queries, complaints, and product returns.

The company seeks to provide high quality, personalised customer care across these outlets.

Godiva aims to secure recurring business from its customers, encouraging repeat business through its Godiva Rewards Club, a loyalty scheme under which customers are able to access exclusive benefits, deals, and discounts. Customers are able to manage their rewards accounts through Godiva’s website.

In addition to hosting an online store and rewards scheme, Godiva also uses its website to provide its customers with information on its store locations, its products, and delivery services.

The company is additionally able to communicate deals and updates to its customers through its various social media accounts, including with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Key Activities

Godiva operates as a manufacturer and retailer of Belgian chocolates and chocolate products.

It offers a wide range of confectionery products, including chocolate truffles, gift baskets and towers, gourmet biscuits, coffee and cocoa, wrapped chocolates, chocolate strawberries, gift boxes, and chocolate eggs and bunnies, as well as pretzels, nuts, and bars.

Godiva makes its sales primarily through its network of boutiques and shops, as well as via department and specialty stores, seasonal mail-order catalogues, and wholesale merchandising operations.

It also operates its own online store, through which customers can purchase and gift products. Godiva traces its roots back to the 1920s. It is headquartered in the US, but has operations across Europe and Asia Pacific.

Key Partners

Godiva works closely with a wide network of partner companies and organisations across the US and internationally.

These partners can be organised broadly into the following categories:

  • Supplier and Vendor Partners, comprising suppliers of ingredients, tools, and equipment used in the company’s production and distribution of chocolate products, as well as third-party providers of services that support the company’s broader corporate operations;
  • Distribution and Logistics Partners, comprising distribution, logistics, and delivery companies that support the company’s wholesaling, online ordering, and distribution operations across the US and internationally;
  • Branding and Marketing Partners, comprising various commercial enterprises and brands with which the company collaborates on branding and marketing projects to ensure that its products reach as broad an audience as possible; and
  • Community Partners, comprising various non-profits and charitable organisations with which the company collaborates on various community and social impact projects under the Godiva Cares initiative.

Godiva has launched a number of partnerships in recent years. In 2017, the company partnered with director Rankin and with UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s as part of the launch of its Godiva Masterpieces range.

It also partnered with Twentieth Century Fox as part of its marketing efforts in relation to the release of Murder on the Orient Express.

Key Resources

Godiva’s business model is dependent on its ability to produce, sell, and distribute high-quality chocolate products to an international customer base.

As such, the company’s key resources are its supplies and supply chain, its partnerships, its manufacturing facilities, its distribution infrastructure, its network of retail outlets, its personnel.

The company notably makes the bulk of its sales through its network of hundreds of retail outlets in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, and maintains manufacturing centres in the UIS and Belgium.

Cost Structure

Godiva incurs costs primarily in relation to the procurement of supplies and materials, the operation of its manufacturing and distribution facilities, the procurement of external services, the operation of its retail outlets – including occupancy and utility costs, the management of its partnerships, the development and maintenance of its online store and IT infrastructure, and the payment of salaries and benefits to its personnel.

Revenue Streams

Godiva generates revenue through the production and sale of Belgian chocolates and related confectionery product to customers across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

The company derives its revenue via the collection of sales fess at point of sale, under sales contracts with wholesalers and retailers, and through sales made online via its digital store.

Godiva is a privately owned company and, as such, it is not obliged to share its revenue figures with the public. According to reports, Godiva recorded annual sales of around USD 1 billion in 2017.

Our team

Annie Young-Scrivner,
Chief Executive Officer

info: Annie Young-Scrivner (“Young-Scrivner”) has served as Chief Executive Officer at Godiva since joining the company in August 2017. She is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategic direction and functions as its key decision maker. In addition to her role at Godiva, she also sits on the Board of Directors at Tiffany and Co. Young-Scrivner is an experienced executive in the consumer goods sector. From 2006 to 2009 she served consecutively as Region President for China Foods and Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sales for Quaker Foods and Snacks at PepsiCo. She joined Starbucks in 2009, where she served initially as Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of Tazo Tea. She went on to serve later as President of Starbucks Canada and President of Teavana and Executive President of Global Tea. Before joining Godiva, she served for more than a year as Starbucks’ Executive Vice President of Global Digital and Loyalty Development.

Virginie Costa,
Chief Financial Officer

info: Virginie Costa (“Costa”) joined Godiva in August 2018 as its Global Chief Financial Officer. She is responsible for overseeing the company’s various financial management functions, including the activities of the company’s accounting and tax departments. Costa has held a number of senior executive positions in the past 20 years. She began her career at KPMG, where she served for several years a senior auditor. In 2000 she joined Arthur Andersen as a junior manager, a role she held for just seven months before being appointed Group Accounting Project Manager at Groupe Canal+. Between 2001 and 2011, Costa worked in senior roles at Hermès, consecutively serving as International Financial Controller and Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Godiva, Costa served as Chief Financial Officer of the Americas at Burberry.

John Galloway,
Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer

info: John Galloway (“Galloway”) has served as Godiva’s Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer since October 2018. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s everyday management and leading the company’s product innovation strategies. Galloway began his career in 1989 as an account manager at Burson Marsteller. He moved to Wunderman in 1992 as a field marketing manager, following which he served from 1994 to 1996 as Account Director for Mountain Dew at Tracy Locke. Between 1996 and 2010, Galloway held roles of increasing responsibility at PepsiCo, including spells as Director of Flavours, Director of Sports Marketing, Vice President of Sports and Media, Vice President and General Manager of IZZE Beverage, and Vice President of Marketing for Gatorade. Prior to joining Godiva, he served consecutively as Chief Marketing Officer at Hard Rock International and Chief Executive Officer at Beautiful Day.