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CATERING TO CHOCOHOLICS

If the way to a female shopper’s heart is through her stomach, then chocolate may provide retailers the fastest way to get there. Sixty-five percent of American women eat chocolate on a weekly basis, says a recent survey of 1,022 women by the World Cocoa Foundation. And 52 percent of the women surveyed said eating chocolate makes them happy. Limited Brands is testing the idea at its 1,600 U.S. Bath & Body Works stores. The Columbus, Ohio-based retailer signed a deal with Belgian candy company House of Brussels Chocolates, best known for its “chocolate hedgehog treats,” to sell branded chocolate drinks inside Bath & Body Works stores. The six-ounce drinks, modeled after French coffee canisters, will start appearing in stores in October.

Meanwhile, Chicago chocolate lovers now have a place to hang out and enjoy their favorite vice at their leisure. Ethel’s Chocolate, a division of candy giant Mars, has opened two Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges in the Chicago suburbs of Evanston and Lincoln Park. The lounges offer cozy, overstuffed sofas and chairs, warm-blended chocolate and a range of beverages in addition to Ethel’s signature blend of chocolate fondue. Ethel’s plans to open two more lounges in the Windy City by summer’s end, one of them at Westfield Northbridge, on Michigan Avenue.