Darrell Lea
| Shop | |
| Industry | Chocolate |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Defunct | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Ingleburn, New South Wales, Australia |
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Key people
|
Darrell Bernard Lea |
| Products | Chocolate, liquorice and other confectionery |
| Owner | Quinn family |
Darrell Lea Chocolate Shops is an Australian company that makes and sells chocolate, liquorice and other confectionery. It is based in Ingleburn, New South Wales.
It was privately owned by the Lea family, and was the largest privately owned confectionery manufacturer in Australia. It was established as a company in 1927, named after the owner's youngest child, Darrell Bernard Lea, born earlier that year. Darrell Lea had 81 privately owned shops and other 1,838 outlets. In July 2012 the company was put into administration and restructured. In September 2012, it was sold to the Quinn family. Further restructuring, including elimination of the majority of retail jobs occurred during August and September 2012. All company owned retail outlets were closed by, or on, 9 September 2012.
During peak times, Darrell Lea employed approximately 1,200 people.
Darrell Lea operates solely in Australia, though its products are now available worldwide through distributors in the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. The two popular products are Darrell Lea Original Soft Eating Liquorice (black and strawberry) and iconic Milk Chocolate Rocklea Road. Darrell Lea's offers several confectionery product lines ranging from fresh liquorice, to traditional chocolate, to gifting boxes and a range of nougat.
Darrell Lea has been in the ownership of the Lea family since it was founded by Harry Lea, who was born on 15 February 1876 in the East End of London, migrated to Australia in 1888, and started making confectionery in 1917 at the back of his Manly Corso fruit shop. Lea started the first shop in New South Wales in 1927 in Sydney's Haymarket, being a combined milk bar and confectionery shop. During the Depression in 1929, a shop became vacant in Pitt Street, and in 1935 a factory was established at 1 York Street. His first almond noughat creation was called Bulgarian Rock.
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