Hans & Gretel

What Hans & Gretel does

Hans & Gretel is a privately-held themed confectionery retail chain founded in 2017 by Linda Lim in Athens, Greece. The company operates a network of more than 25 stores across at least eight countries (Greece, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and France), combining retail sales of confectionery items — gelato, waffles, chimney cake, handmade candies, cotton candy, candies, and donuts — with an immersive fairytale-themed store environment in which staff are costumed as characters from the Hansel and Gretel story. The brand positions itself as a 'wonderland of sweets' aimed at families with children, tourists, and broader consumers seeking an experience-led confectionery purchase rather than a commodity candy transaction. Store-within-store placements inside Hamleys in London (Regent Street and Westfield), alongside locations in tourist destinations such as Monastiraki, Camden Market, and Cairo Festival City, anchor the premium positioning.

The underlying technology is a physical-retail concept rather than a software platform: the differentiation comes from store design, sensory merchandising, themed staff, curated product sourcing from certified branded suppliers, and a signature product mix (gelato, chimney cake, bubble waffles) that combines international confectionery traditions. There is no digital product, mobile app, or API surface in the current offering, and the website functions primarily as a marketing and franchise-recruitment channel.

Hans & Gretel makes money through two principal streams: direct retail sales at company-operated stores, and a franchise program that generates fees and royalties from local operators who receive turnkey support including store location assistance, staff training, business model consulting, seasonal product deliveries, and integrated marketing campaigns. Customers are acquired primarily through foot traffic at high-traffic tourist and shopping-mall locations, with supporting brand presence on Instagram and a content-rich website. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company employs 51-100 staff at the corporate level and reports no institutional ownership, public listing, parent company, or funding rounds in the available data.

Name

Hans & Gretel

Legal name

Hans & Gretel

Website

https://hansgretel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hans & Gretel is a privately-held themed confectionery retail chain founded in 2017 in Athens, Greece, operating 25-plus fairytale-themed stores across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa selling gelato, chimney cakes, waffles, candies, and donuts to families and tourists via direct retail and a franchise program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery Retail

NAICS

Confectionery and Nut Retailers (445292), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Candy & Specialty Sweets Stores (THAFAGAH), Gourmet & Fine Food Stores (CRAHAGAG)

Keywords

• Confectionery retail
• Themed candy stores
• Handmade sweets
• Gelato and desserts
• Retail franchise

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Retail Candy and Confectionery Sales: Direct sales of sweets and confectionery products including gelato, chimney cakes, waffles, handmade candies, marshmallows, lollipops, candy bars, bubble waffles, and cotton candy to consumers in-store.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Revenue generated from franchise partners who pay for the right to operate Hans & Gretel branded stores, including ongoing support and product supply.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hans & Gretel operates a chain of themed confectionery retail stores that sell handmade candies, gelato, bubble waffles, chimney cakes, cotton candy, marshmallows, lollipops, candy bars and donuts within a fairytale-themed, multi-sensory store environment. The company complements its directly-operated retail network with a franchise program that licenses partners to open and run branded Hans & Gretel stores worldwide, supplying store setup, training, marketing, and seasonal products.

Product overview

Hans & Gretel is a themed candy and confectionery retail chain founded in 2017 in Athens, Greece. Its product portfolio centers on six core offerings: Gelato (Italian ice cream), Waffles (German bubble waffles), Chimney Cake (Czech-inspired pastries), Handmade Candies, Cotton Candy, and Candies (including marshmallows, chocolates, lollipops, and candy bars). These products are sold through the company's physical retail store network (the primary service offering) and supplemented by a Franchise Program that provides turnkey store setup and ongoing operational and marketing support to franchisees. The stores function as themed entertainment destinations blending confectionery retail with interactive fairytale experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gelato Italian-recipe fresh ice cream sold as a core in-store product to walk-up retail customers, described by the company as a cold, fairy-tale happy ending.
• Waffles (Bubble Waffles) German-origin bubble waffles served with ice cream, marshmallows, and toppings, sold as a core in-store product to retail customers.
• Chimney Cake Czech-inspired crispy pastry with fluffy dough, cinnamon, sugar, and fillings, sold as a core in-store product to retail customers.
• Handmade Candies Bite-sized handmade candy morsels crafted by skilled confectioners and sold as a core in-store product to retail customers.
• Cotton Candy Airy sugar cotton candy in multiple flavors and colors, sold as a core in-store product and also offered as an accompaniment to gelato.
• Candies (Marshmallows, Lollipops, Candy Bars, Chocolates) Assorted colorful candies including German marshmallows, lollipops, candy bars, handpicked chocolates, and bubble waffles, sold as core in-store products.
• Hans & Gretel Franchise Program Turnkey franchise offering for entrepreneurs and operators to open Hans & Gretel branded candy stores, including store and product support (seasonal own-label products, on-time deliveries, staff training, business model consulting, store location help) and full marketing support (POS actions, integrated 360 campaigns, marketing-in-a-box package, ongoing seasonal and local campaigns).
• Hans & Gretel Themed Retail Store Experience Physical retail store environment blending fairytale-themed design, smells, colors, and themed staff interaction with confectionery sales, serving consumers at prime retail and tourist destinations.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HamleyscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHans & Gretel operates dedicated store-within-store locations inside Hamleys toy stores, including the flagship Regent Street location and Westfield London. This partnership places Hans & Gretel in one of the world's most famous toy stores, aligning their magical fairytale concept with family entertainment.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IT'SUGAR: Large US-based candy and confectionery retail chain operating in malls and tourist locations with an oversized, experience-led store format. Closely comparable business model to Hans & Gretel's mall-and-tourist candy retail concept.
• Sugarfina: Premium adult-focused candy boutique retailer with a curated, design-forward assortment sold through own stores and partners. Comparable to Hans & Gretel as an upscale, giftable, experience-led confectionery retailer.
• M&M's World: Mars-operated flagship experiential candy stores in global tourist destinations (Times Square, London Leicester Square, Shanghai). Directly comparable as a themed, high-footfall candy retail destination with a strong brand-driven in-store experience and broad confectionery assortment.
• Lolli & Pops: US-based specialty candy boutique chain with curated assortments and an experiential store format in malls. Comparable premium candy retail model in shopping-mall environments.
• Dylan's Candy Bar: Iconic NYC-based experiential candy store combining retail with themed events and a wide assortment of sweets. Highly comparable as a destination candy retail concept with entertainment and gift positioning.
• Jelly Belly: Branded jelly bean and confectionery manufacturer with flagship retail stores and visitor-center experience in California. Comparable as a brand-anchored, experience-driven candy retail concept.
• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory: US franchised chocolate and confectionery retail chain combining company-owned and franchise stores in malls, tourist areas, and outlets. Closely comparable franchise-led specialty confectionery retail model.
• Candylicious: Malaysia-based themed candy retail concept with stores in major malls and tourist destinations across Southeast Asia, offering a broad confectionery assortment and experiential store design. Closely comparable multi-country themed candy retailer.

Others

• FAO Schwarz: Iconic toy retailer with experiential flagship stores, including the Hamleys-adjacent family-entertainment positioning. Comparable as a host-tenant partner and adjacent experiential retail concept that anchors family/tourist footfall.

Emerging players

• Häagen-Dazs: Global premium ice cream brand with branded scoop shops and cafés in malls and high streets worldwide. Comparable as a premium dessert retail concept occupying similar mall and tourist locations, with overlapping gelato-adjacent product offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hans & Gretel