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It began as an experiment.

Before the Mars Retail Group transformed its Ethel M Chocolates store at Fashion Show into Ethel's Chocolate Lounge in September, company executives did no advance consumer research to study whether tourists and locals would embrace the new concept. They merely wanted to see, on a small scale and in real-market time, how the lounge would fare in Las Vegas.

Mars executives liked the results of the changeover: Sales inside the 1,200-square-foot store grew by double digits.

Now, based on the improved sales, Mars' test run is leading to an entirely new business model for Ethel M Chocolates, a beloved, locally based brand that's been a Southern Nevada mainstay since the company's Henderson headquarters and factory opened in 1980.

In the next two months, Mars Retail Group will change all nine of the company's Ethel M Chocolates stores across the Las Vegas Valley into Ethel's Chocolate Lounges.

The transition is under way inside stores at the Henderson plant and at The District at Green Valley Ranch. Conversions are planned for the remaining stores inside the California and Flamingo hotels, the Meadows Mall and McCarran International Airport.

Future stores, both locally and nationally, will carry the Ethel's Chocolate Lounge logo.

"We are calling this a chocolate evolution," said John Haugh, president of Ethel M owner Mars Retail Group, a Henderson-based division of global food giant Masterfoods USA. "We're building on the best part of our past as a regional leader in chocolate. By transitioning Ethel M to Ethel's, we're at the forefront of innovation."

Fans of Ethel M needn't lament the brand's disappearance from storefronts.

The nameplate will live on in the Ethel M Classic Collection. Consumers will be able to buy seven of the company's best-selling product lines, including assortments with Almond Butter Krisps, Lemon Satin Cremes and Milk Chocolate Raspberry Satin Cremes. Ethel M's Buttery Pecan Brittle and Chocolate-Stribboned Pecan Brittle will also be available, as will the Las Vegas Slot Box featuring foil-wrapped chocolate coins and the Taste of Las Vegas collection with its box cover featuring the Strip skyline. The collection's prices will range from $8 to $33.

The local changeover to Ethel's Chocolate Lounges follows a 10-store rollout in Chicago in 2005 and 2006.

Unlike the Las Vegas debut, the Chicago launch involved extensive consumer research. The company's studies "said there was a space for us to go after a more contemporary lounge environment and more everyday premium chocolates," Haugh said.

With Ethel's Chocolate Lounges, Mars officials want consumers to enjoy chocolate beyond key holidays such as Valentine's Day, Easter and Christmas. In addition to splurging on big candy purchases for special occasions, consumers could also frequent their neighborhood chocolate lounge for regular, smaller indulgences in gourmet confections.