The Decline of A Business Empire
World War I marked the beginning of the decline of the Menier Chocolate company. While Europe was in turmoil and businesses there suffered greatly, rapid expansion was taking place in neutral Switzerland and in the United States. Companies there were untouched by the ravages of the war, and benefited from the influx of refugees that increased market size and provided labor necessary for expansion. While the war raged in France for four years, a Swiss company was able to introduce the first chocolates with a filling. By the end of the war, Menier's finances had been weakened while competition and technologies had substantially increased.
Gaston Menier died in 1934 and the onset of World War II five years later exacerbated the company's problems to an even much greater extent. Run by Hubert and Antoine Menier, neither had the capacity to deal with the problems. Despite the Menier Chocolate company's strong brand recognition and an effective marketing of children's books utilizing the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, by the 1950s the industry leader in France was being swamped by its competitors, rapidly losing market share and considerable amounts of money. Hubert Menier died in 1959 and Antoine would be the last Menier to run the business. Entering the 1960s, the Menier workforce dropped to just over 250 from its peak of more than 2,000.
In 1960, the Menier company had no choice but to find a buyer and was merged with the Cacao Barry company and by 1965 the Menier family no longer held an interest in the company. The Menier factory was sold to Group Ufico-Perrier which became part of British confectioners Rowntree Mackintosh in 1971 who in turn was acquired in 1988 by the Swiss food and beverage giant, Nestlé S.A..
In the early 1990s, all production ceased at the Noisiel facility but in 1996, Nestlé France opened its headquarters in the main building while other buildings in the complex are now part of a chocolate museum with tours open to the public. Today, the Menier Chocolate Factory building on Southwark Street in London is a popular arts complex that incorporates an art gallery, restaurant, and theatre.
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