Kit Kat Chocolatory, Sydney

Whilst traditional retail is in crisis, FMCG companies such as Nestlé are continuing to invest and experiment with innovative retail experiences, to bring their brands direct to the consumer in exciting and tactile ways.

Building on the success of its Melbourne Chocolatory, Kit Kat has opened its first permanent Chocolatory in Sydney. Having opened its very first Chocolatory in 2014, Kit Kat has taken a measured approach to opening further boutique stores, and still just a handful can be found around the world.

Each of the Chocolatories is unique, designed for the local consumer and taking learnings from previous iterations. The Sydney Chocolatory is therefore seen as an innovation incubator for future stores and product testing for new flavour releases.

The ‘Create your Break’ concept is a play on Kit Kat’s famous ‘Have a Break’ tagline. Customers can design their very own eight finger Kit Kat, with up to 30,000 possible flavour combinations, or they can dine in-store using the sushi style dessert-train.

The concept centres around the theatre and craftsmanship of Kit Kat. By including hospitality dining it makes the experience longer and richer. At 87m², Sydney’s Chocolatory is roughly a third the size of its most recent counterpart in São Paulo, but the concept, by Sydney based McCartney Design, has maximised the space, bringing customer engagement right up to the lease line, with dining spilling over into the shopping centre.

The Chocolatory proved so popular, that Kit Kat had to introduce a timed ticketing system for entry to the store.