McCormick World of Flavors, the Sparks-based spice maker's only branded retail venture, will close Aug. 14, four years after opening in Harborplace.
McCormick & Co is exploring a new retail concept in Baltimore and decided to close the Inner Harbor store to shift its focus, a McCormick spokesman said Thursday.
World of Flavors now occupies more than 3,800 square feet on the first level of the Light Street pavilion in downtown Baltimore. A new store will be smaller and offer a more customized buying experience, the company said. World of Flavors will continue selling products online.
The company opened World of Flavors in August 2012. It wanted not only to sell spices along with grilling, baking and cooking products, but to give the homegrown company an updated image as a global flavor manufacturer. Located across Light Street where McCormick once ran a spice factory, it held cooking demonstrations and featured interactive stations to "Guess That Spice" and get a flavor profile analysis.
McCormick, which has annual sales of $4.3 billion, distributes brands such as Lawry's, Old Bay and Zatarain's, and makes flavorings for food manufacturers and restaurant chains. It operated its factory downtown for nearly seven decades before moving to Baltimore County in 1989.