KITKAT CHOCOLATORY

Thousands of passengers who frequent Utrecht Central train station had the opportunity to visit the Chocolatery and embrace their culinary creativity by creating a unique KITKAT chocolate bar. The process in which they were required to participate was simple. It involved choosing their chocolate from either milk, white or dark, and then adding three toppings of their choice from a range of options, including, not only Dutch specialities such as pepernoten or stroopwafels, but also international classics like caramel and raspberry. Consumers could even create their own artwork for the packaging of their chocolate bars. The Chocolatiers then took about 30 minutes to create and wrap the unique gifts. Customers were also able to pick and choose pre-made special edition KITKAT bars if they so wished.

PSfm Field marketing were appointed by Nestlé to conceive and deliver the entire project, from creative development to the complete management of the store. They also sourced the location of the store and planned the interior design. The PSfm project team worked on all aspects of development, this included all elements of design, recruitment of staff, HACCP, and the development and implementation of a complete operational plan, resulting in a pop-up store that would suitably impress and leave a lasting impression!

Utrecht Central train station as a location for the pop-up store was a huge success and the response was overwhelmingly positive .The store was officially opened by Dutch TV personality Geraldine Kemper and got positive feedback from critics and customers alike, including positive online media reports in publications such as Retailtrends, Metronieuws and DUIC, who all reported enthusiastically on the opening of the store.

In preparation for the launch of the KITKAT Chocolatory, PSfm enlisted 2 renowned chocolatiers to join the team. They were responsible for the preparation and quality of the chocolate and also helped to train a team of 20 chocolate artists to run the store!

The KITKAT Chocolatory has proven that creativity and personalisation works in the Netherlands. We can confidently say that travellers and local shoppers alike came to the Chocolatory and created their very own KITKAT in a complete blend of creativity and customization. Response, both in the shop and on social media, has shown that consumers are open to buying premium KitKat products with toppings added, and are also curious about unique KITKAT flavours which potentially evoke some Japanese taste preferences, such as wasabi or green tea.

The flexibility and quick response time of the project team during both construction and management phases of the development, as well as the in-house preparation of the chocolate, the properly trained staff, and a solid operational process were undoubtedly factors that contributed to make this project a phenomenal success. PSfm are extremely proud to have been selected to deliver such an innovative and engaging project.