rnational expansion – which in 2008 included Hong Kong, with stores opening in Pacific Place and Elements shopping centres. Two more stores followed a year later in IFC and Landmark Prince. A fifth later followed in Lee Gardens One. Yacine Bensalem of In Situ Partners was appointed by La Maison to implement a fresh retail concept developed in Paris for the Prince’s Building store when it was relocated from its original location in the centre. The task was to reposition the store as more of a boutique with the chocolate centrestage. The concept has since been copied in the IFC Mall store and another at the Shoppes at Four Seasons in Macau. “The original concept was quite conservative, with dominant natural wood and dark chocolate accent colors,” explains Bensalem. “The new concept is a younger, more colorful and accessible looking.” At the heart of the new design is a warm saffron-accented color to evoque a sense of spices and create high contrast and visibility: this is also the new color signature colour for the brand. The dark chocolate colour remains in the design offering a contrast. “This is done to maintain branding continuity with the older retail concept,” says Bensalem. Copper accents are a new feature, evoking tradition, along with traditional copper pans. The dark oak wood of the old retail model has been replaced with a light wood veneer. “This is the most important change is branding as the brand had this veneer as a strong brand marker.” In terms of architecture, a signature element is a back wall display of La Maison’s colourful gift boxes, shaped like hat boxes, one of the brand’s signature features. “The look of the stores is now more colorful, more accessible and somehow less elitist,” says Bensalem. “And they are more inviting to the general public. They have ensured continuing consumer brand recognition, they have not sacrificed product quality or diluted their sense of artisan craftsmanship.” Boxed piece: The essence of La Maison du Chocolat La Maison du Chocolat was founded by Robert Linxe who dedicated his life to chocolate. Born in the French Basque region, he first studied his trade in rural France before moving to Switzerland to perfect his art. His first boutique opened on the prestigious Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris in 1977 – from day one, the brand was associated with artisanal craftsmanship and premium quality.   He opened the boutique in a wine cellar, which provided ideal conditions for preserving the temperature and freshness of chocolate. Linxe passed away in December 2014 aged 85, (he was 48 when he opened his first boutique), but his legacy endures. La Maison du Chocolat stores can be found in high-end malls all over the world, including in Japan, Korea and the Middle East. The brand’s enduring quality is ensured by Nicolas Cloiseau, who Linxe employed in 1996, quickly recognising his brilliance as a pastry chef and chocolatier and promoting him to culinary chief. “I am heir to the perfection of Robert Linxe,” he explains. “I make chocolates as he would have made them today. I feel responsible for what he has created, his philosophy of taste, assemblages and his balances.” *This feature originally appeared in Inside Retail Hong Kong magazine print edition. Visit our online store to order your own digital or print subscription to the quarterly magazine.