{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='NEWS FEATURE Chocolatiers fear lower Valentine sales due to economic slowdown' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bb47d8eafeecae123e0c' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bb47d8eafeecae123e0c' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nNEWS FEATURE Chocolatiers fear lower Valentine sales due to economic slowdown\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003e1. Wide couple looking at the displays of chocolates in Pierre Marcolini chocolate shop2. Close circular box of chocolates with red, heart-shaped chocolates inside 3. Close white box of chocolates with red, heart-shaped chocolates inside...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003e1. Wide couple looking at the displays of chocolates in Pierre Marcolini chocolate shop\u003cbr/\u003e2. Close circular box of chocolates with red, heart-shaped chocolates inside \u003cbr/\u003e3. Close white box of chocolates with red, heart-shaped chocolates inside \u003cbr/\u003e4. Close display of red, heart-shaped chocolates \u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE (French) VOX POP: Fiona, from Brussels:\u003cbr/\u003e\"(St. Valentine's Day) Is not especially important, because one doesn't have to wait for February 14 to be able to do something special with one's lover. Every day is St. Valentine's Day.\" \u003cbr/\u003e6. SOUNDBITE (English) VOX POP: Thomas and Annemi, from Ghent:\u003cbr/\u003e\"It's very commercial, that's my belief. For us it's not a special day. It's every day St. Valentine's Day. When you're happy. I'm sure.\"\u003cbr/\u003e7. Wide interior Wittamer chocolate shop, Brussels\u003cbr/\u003e8. Mid setup Myriam Wittamer, owner of the Wittamer chocolate shop, packaging a box of chocolates\u003cbr/\u003e9. Close chocolates being placed in the box\u003cbr/\u003e10. SOUNDBITE (French) Myriam Wittamer, owner of the Wittamer chocolate shop:\u003cbr/\u003e\"I am very concerned. I think 2008 will not be as good a year as 2007 was, because the slowdown in the global economy will effect our clients directly. However, the Wittamer family is very close to the business and we are therefore able to react very quickly to any events that might happen and realign our sales and marketing in a different direction if need be.\"\u003cbr/\u003e11. Close shops assistant wrapping up a box with hearts on it\u003cbr/\u003e12. Wide chocolate boxes\u003cbr/\u003e13. Wide setup Secretary General of the Association of the Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of the European Union David Zimmer\u003cbr/\u003e14. SOUNDBITE (English) David Zimmer, Secretary General of the Association of the Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of the EU:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Normally if you track the history of our business it doesn't suffer the hits in an economic sense that other businesses do, but that is not to say, of course, that we wouldn't be immune.\"\u003cbr/\u003e15. Wide chocolate display in the Wittamer shop\u003cbr/\u003e16. Close chocolate boxes in the shape of red hearts\u003cbr/\u003e17. Close pen writing on paper\u003cbr/\u003e18. SOUNDBITE (English) David Zimmer, Secretary General of the Association of the Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of the EU:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We're obviously big users of sugar, dairy in the biscuit sector and the snack-bar sector cereals, and the (EU) Commission's own figures will show you very clearly that there have been significant price increases in those raw materials and somehow we can't be immune from those price pressures on our products. So, yes we are a victim, the same way as the rest of the food industry, of increased prices.\"\u003cbr/\u003e19. Mid strawberries being dipped into white chocolate\u003cbr/\u003e20. Wide people looking through the window at the strawberries being dipped\u003cbr/\u003e21. Close dipping\u003cbr/\u003e22. Close dipped strawberries on the plate \u003cbr/\u003eOn the eve of St. Valentine's Day, Belgian chocolate makers are anxiously watching to see if people are willing to spend their euros in the name of love.\u003cbr/\u003eOne of the tokens of enduring affection, chocolate, has for a long time sold well over the St. Valentine festival. \u003cbr/\u003eHowever, with tourism declining because of the falling US dollar, and the rising costs of raw materials to make the praline, the nation's leading chocolatiers are expecting lower sales this year.\u003cbr/\u003eStaff at the high-end Wittamer chocolate boutique in the Brussels' trendy Sablon quarter are busy preparing for the Valentine's Day rush.\u003cbr/\u003eThe store is filled with heart-shaped chocolates in elegant red boxes. At over 28 euros (40.71 US Dollars) for a 500 gram (18 ounces) box of assorted chocolates, this token of a loved-one's affection does not come cheap.\u003cbr/\u003eMyriam Wittamer, owner of the family run Wittamer chocolate store, is prepared for a slow year.\u003cbr/\u003e\"I think 2008 will not be as good a year as 2007 was, because the slowdown in the global economy will affect our clients directly,\" she said.\u003cbr/\u003eDavid Zimmer, the secretary-general of the Association of Chocolate, Biscuit, and Confectionery Industries of the EU (Caobisco) is not worried. \u003cbr/\u003e\"We are a very mature market and with that maturity there comes an element of stability. Normally if you track the history of our business it doesn't suffer the hits in an economic sense that other businesses do,\" he said.\u003cbr/\u003eBut Zimmer acknowledges that the industry is not immune to the state of the economy. \u003cbr/\u003e\"The (EU) Commission's own figures will show you very clearly that there have been significant price increases in those raw materials and somehow we can't be immune from those price pressures on our products. So, yes we are a victim, the same way as the rest of the food industry, of increased prices,\" he said.\u003cbr/\u003eThis, coupled with an increased interest from emerging countries like India and China, and a demand for dark chocolates because reports of the health benefits, has meant that the demand for cocoa has soared. \u003cbr/\u003eIn return this makes chocolate more expensive. \u003cbr/\u003eSo perhaps, this Valentine's Day, instead of celebrating with chocolates, Belgians will be sending flowers instead.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv 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