Today the Mars Retail Group announced that it will move its M&M’s store from the Florida Mall in Orlando to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. The company calls it an experiential store, which basically means you’re immersed in an interactive world of chocolate.
The new store will be located on the Westside between Splitsville and the new NBA Experience. It promises a colorful interior filled with your favorite chocolate candies along with assorted merchandise featuring the M&M’s brand and characters.
This move shows the power of Disney Springs and the sales per square foot it is able to provide its retailers (frequently the highest in a chain). That is now causing retailers to move from one mall in town to another. It also says something about the dwindling draw of the traditional shopping mall.
“Disney Springs is one of the most popular retail destinations in the country, making it the perfect location for our new M&M’S experiential store,” said Patrick McIntyre, Director of Global Retail at Mars Retail Group. “Guests will be fully immersed into an interactive chocolate experience that will create more moments and more smiles through the colorful fun of M&M’S.”
The new Orlando store is expected to open in 2020. Other M&M’s experiential stores can be found in New York, Las Vegas, London, and Shanghai.