Purdys Chocolatier, is expanding into the Maritimes, bringing its rich Canadian heritage, which began in 1907, from the West Coast to the East Coast, and marking a new chapter in its Canadian history.
In September, the Canadian chocolatier will open four locations in shopping malls across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, adding to more provinces to the brand’s growing national footprint.
The company said the expansion is a direct response to “vocal enthusiasm from Maritimers who have been asking for a local shop for years.”
“Purdys Chocolatier has already been a part of the community for some time through local fundraising programs alongside strong online support. Across the Maritimes, parents, coaches, and school volunteers have regularly partnered with Purdys Chocolatier to support important community projects – from school field trips and classroom supplies to travel costs for sports teams, bands, and clubs,” it said.
“As a family-owned Canadian business committed to intentional growth within the country, expanding to the Maritimes was the natural choice for the brand. Both Purdys Chocolatier and the Maritimes share a deep love for quality, local pride, and Canadian craftsmanship.”
Kriston Dean, VP of Sales & Marketing at Purdys Chocolatier, said the brand has experienced incredible warmth and enthusiasm from its online shoppers and fundraising communities in the Maritimes.
“This expansion has been a long time in the making, and we are so deeply grateful for the support that got us here. After years of requests for local shops, we knew it was time to give Maritimers a physical shop to enjoy our beloved chocolates,” she said.
The store openings in September:
● Regent Mall (Fredericton, NB)
● Champlain Place (Dieppe, NB)
● Mic Mac Mall (Dartmouth, NS) – Pop-up location
● Halifax Shopping Centre (Halifax, NS) – Pop-up location, permanent storefront in early 2027
Dean said Purdys has 84 permanent stores and it just closed eight seasonal pop-ups.
“It’s the first time going east of Ontario. So we’re very excited. It’s been a long time coming, quite frankly. Our customers out there have been very loud. And obviously, being Canada’s chocolatier, we want to be coast to coast. This is the first time we’re opening physical stores in the Maritimes,” said Dean.
“We’re going into market with four locations right out of the gate and we’ve already scouted and anticipate more openings there after this initial four.
“We already have a very established loyal following. We can see that from our other channel sales. But we also see a lot of similarities in habits of chocolate consumption and gifting, really. And we see the feeling from the Maritimes, from all of our customers there, is that they are looking for premium chocolate gifts. So we want to be able to provide that for them.
“We think the market is really a good fit to who our core customers are in other provinces, and so we’re very hopeful. And from all the excitement we’ve heard so far, we think these are going to be really successful openings. And that’s the reason to go in with four. We’re so confident we’re not starting with one; we’re going in with four.”
Dean said the pop-up model is used to test markets before they go into permanent stores.
Dean said Purdys is actively building right now in Fairview Park, Kitchener, Masonville in London, Ontario. It just opened in Oakridge Park in Vancouver.
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