Duty-Free & Distributors

Duty-Free

The duty-free business, which Lindt & Sprüngli operates out of Switzerland, continues to be heavily dependent on the course of the pandemic. Nonetheless, the market organization achieved remarkable growth of 68.1% by the end of the year. While we are still a long way short of the sales of 2019, the year before the crisis, we significantly increased our share of this smaller market. Travel remained a challenge, and although there were occasional relaxations of travel restrictions, some countries remained completely closed for months. The sector as a whole has to be prepared for this volatile environment to continue, especially in Asia. During the year, as vaccination programs progressed, we saw an increase in tourist travel, primarily in Europe, the Middle East and America, which gives grounds for optimism.

Distributors

Smaller markets, where Lindt & Sprüngli does not operate directly, are managed by the organization Distributors. In 2021, we achieved organic growth of 17.1% via this distribution channel. The Asia region was the main driver of growth, to which the Lindor product line was the strongest contributor.