North America

Lindt sales in the USA market grew organically by 16.3% to USD 581 million. All distribution channels contributed to this growth. Lindt’s growth was doubling the general growth in the chocolate market, which has also resulted in an increase in market share and consolidated our position as market leader in the premium segment. The increase is primarily due to the demand of home consumption products. People are eating more often at home, with chocolate taking on the role of dessert. Lindor is the preferred product here, and not without reason the leading brand among premium chocolates. Added to this has been the lifting of contact restrictions, which has led to stronger sales of gift items again and was reflected in particularly good sales around Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas. Newly developed TV commercials, product innovations and strategic cooperation with retail customers contributed to these strong results. In the USA, as in other markets, digital channels, whether our own platforms or those of our partners, are an above-average growth driver. This change in consumer behavior demands more agile structures at all levels, affecting marketing, logistics, technology and organizational processes in equal measure. Lindt & Sprüngli is adapting its structures, accordingly, maintain control over costs and enable the rapid scaling of the business so as to continue this success story.

The Russell Stover company achieved sales of USD 342 million, which equates to an organic decline of 5.0%. The subsidiary has a market-leading sugar-free product line, which recorded significant sales growth during the year, particularly with gift items during the Christmas period. However, Russell Stover’s three production companies experienced a reduction in product availability due to challenges in recruiting staff, as well as bottlenecks in the supply chains for raw materials and packaging materials. This led to lower sales and meant that the company was not able to achieve its full potential in the market. The problem areas have been identified, and with support from the Lindt & Sprüngli Group, a new management is currently implementing the solutions required. We are anticipating that the measures taken will lead to positive results during 2022.

The Canadian market, with sales of CAD 328 million and organic growth of 11.3%, performed almost as well as its neighbor, the USA. There were also signs of a catch-up effect following the reopening of bricks-and-mortar retail. Wholesale sales exceeded our expectations. The Lindt brand thus remains the number 2 in the Canadian chocolate market, with Lindor as the undisputed leading product brand. The Excellence brand is also the leader in both the chocolate bar and all dark chocolate categories.