Royce'

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Royce' chocolate.

Royce' Confect Co., Ltd. (株式会社ロイズコンフェクト, Royce' Confect Co., Ltd.^?), also known as E-Royce', is a Japanese chocolate manufacturing company. The company's central offices are located in Sapporo.

[edit] Company history

Royce' was first established in July 1983, with a total capital of ¥10.0 million. Royce's first head office building was located in Hokkaidō, about 500 miles north of Tokyo. By November of that year, Royce' began to produce their first chocolates.

The company's first two years saw rather slow growth as it integrated into the Japanese economy. It was not until the 1990s that Royce' would become a significant player in the Asian candy industry. In September of 1985, Royce's capital had increased to ¥30.5 million.

In September of 1989, Royce' was finally able to add a chocolate molding line, allowing the company to further compete with other market brands.

The first Royce' shop was established in May 1993. It was named the "Higashi Naebo Main Shop". This shop, like others to come, would sell Royce' chocolates, as well as company and area-related souvenirs. Royce' cookie production also began in 1993.

1994 and 1995 saw major store expansion for Royce' in Japan. Outlets were established in Hiragishi, Asabu and Kotoni.

A delivery center was established in 1996, as well as the "Nama" chocolate brand. The delivery center was served by a fleet of semi-trucks that took Royce's products to clients.

March of 1997 was a relatively important year for Royce', as the company opened a sales shop in Sapporo, thereby establishing its first contact with the city where they are currently headquartered. The Royce' sales shop was established inside a Mitsukoshi department store.

In June of the same year, with the Sapporo public already familiar with the Royce' brand, the company moved their headquarters from Hokkaidō to Sapporo, in the Higashi-ku district. The Truffle chocolate brand was later established, and a new distribution center was inaugurated in November. Royce' began selling its chocolates in Hokkaidō area airports, including Chitose Airport.

By June of 1998, Royce' had established an internet web page, using a computer system named LAN. The next month, the company announced that its capital had risen to slightly more than twice the amount from the previous announcement, or to ¥61 million. Another store was opened, this time in a shopping center.

A new manufacturing facility was inaugurated by Royce', in July 1999, at Futomi. Another store opened, this one located at the Sapporo Odori. Just one month before, Royce' had inaugurated a store at their Sapporo factory, naming it the "Sapporo Factory Shopping Center".

In September of that same year, the company moved its headquarters for the third time, but stayed within Sapporo.

In December 2000, Royce' launched an online store. By that year, the company had begun an advertisement campaign on All Nippon Airways' inflight magazine.

Three more Sapporo stores were inaugurated in July 2001, each located inside well known Japanese department stores.

Royce' Confect International PTE Ltd. was established in August 2001, with the purpose of serving international, albeit mostly Asian, customers. Royce's first international store opened that month, in Singapore.

Yet another store inside a Sapporo department store, the Robinson Department Stores Sapporo branch, was opened in April 2002. By then, Royce' also began to sell bakery products.

In 2005, Royce' branched out into other businesses, such as selling other types of foods and drinking water, food and beverage processing machines, liquor sales (importing and exporting), coffee brands, restaurant management, arts and craft sales, and insurance sales.