M&M's World

The M&M's shop that I am going to talk to you about is located less than one minute away from Times Square, New York, and is very much a compulsory visit for all chocolate lovers visiting the city.

It's difficult to not know what M&M's are, but for those of you who don't, they are little button-shaped milk chocolates coated in different coloured sugar shells. Very similar to Lacasitos, M&M's are the most well-known chocolates of this variety, with the brand originating in the United States. They are so famous that more and more varieties are being continually introduced, and you can find them in an endless number of colours, or filled with something different (like peanuts, almonds, etc. ). The brand also owes its strong reputation to the very successful marketing of the product, as well as its merchandising.

With regards to the store itself, which is what I am going to be talking to you about, I have to mention that it is one of five located worldwide, with branches in: Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, London, and Shanghai. However, the most well-known stores are arguably those in Las Vegas and New York.

The New York store, in particular, is becoming increasingly more famous, having become a compulsory visit for tourists in the city, even if they have no intention of buying anything. Given that the store is in Times Square, it's a very easy stop to make during a day of tourism, and for those of you that have children, it will be their favourite store.

The M&M's World shop in Times Square has 3 floors, and I am going to briefly sum up what you can find on each floor below:

First floor

Straight after you've walked through the door, you will find souvenirs, personalised gifts, clothing and collectible items.

Second floor

This floor can be accessed thanks to an escalator on the first floor (and the same applies to the third floor). Here, you will find a photo booth, drinkware, M&M's dispensers, more clothing and plush toys.

Third floor

Here, you can find accessories for your home, the M&M's Candy Wall, toys and games, as well as customer toilets.

Amongst all of the things that I liked, I have to say that my favourite things were the New York-themed M&M's souvenirs, like the Statue of Liberty M&M. In addition to this, on the exterior facade, there is a gigantic screen that screens quite amusing M&M's adverts and promotional pieces, like the one where two M&M's go to New York and end up meeting the Statue of Liberty.

The wall of M&M's also really caught my attention, which houses all of the M&M's to have ever existed. It is absolutely massive, and written above it, you will find "The World's Biggest Wall of Chocolate".

I like all of the products on sale in the shop, as they are original, varied and colourful; however, that's not to say that they are at all cheap. There was a wall of mugs with every name imaginable on them, which seemed like a great gift idea, but they cost $11 each... that just seems a bit excessive for a mug with my name on it.

I found the clothing they sell to be really cute, especially for children, and you can find absolutely everything that you could ever want or need... even pyjamas!

The store front itself is made entirely of glass, which seemed like a spectacle in itself, and is very "New York" in style - its decor and merchandising is absolutely spot on.

Two little factoids for you: the first, the reason why the chocolates are covered in sugar shells is so that they do not melt in your hand, and their slogan, "Melt in your mouth, not in your hand", became very famous; and, the second, the name of the product comes from the initials of its creators.

To get to M&M's World, the best thing would be to make your way to the north side of Times Square, where the building with the famous stairs is, and go to the rear side of it. If you are taking the subway, the nearest stop is "Times Sq 42 ST".

The store's opening hours vary depending on the time of year that it is, or whether it is a local or national holiday, but the most common opening times are from 9am until 12am. The whole being open until midnight thing is not very normal in the United States, but it absolutely is in Manhattan (and even more so in Times Square), where you will also be able to find a H&M open at this time. I guess that it's for this reason that they call New York, "the city that never sleeps".

For those of you who are chocolate lovers, and even more so if you are an M&M's lover, this is the store for you. And, for those of you who aren't, this is a visit that is difficult to regret, thanks to the store's decoration, the bright colours, and the huge amount of products that they sell. I am very sure that you will like it.