Europe

The Swiss market, which also includes business with travel retail customers and distributors, increased its sales in 2023 by a strong 13.6% to CHF 462 million. This year-on-year growth is attributable to price increases and the recovery of tourism in Switzerland. We are especially pleased about the continued interest in our world’s largest Lindt Shop at the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg. We maintain the attractiveness of the shop with exclusive and personalized, handmade products. Our Swiss Premium Minis, the Napolitains, reported the largest increase in sales of all product groups. We see tourism as a driver of growth and have drawn up a comprehensive action plan with specific product development for tourists, collaborations with key tourism partners and physical availability in regions and shops heavily frequented by tourists.

In the Lindor key franchise, which continues to grow rapidly, the limited edition Cheesecake flavor was launched in and became the most successful special edition in the financial year. During the Christmas business, we focused on Lindor with the Lindt Christmas tree activation at the Christmas market in Zurich main station. The latest addition to our Swiss portfolio, Lindt Squares, was successfully showcased throughout the entire year. A particular highlight was the sponsored partnership at the Zurich festival Züri Fäscht in July, which had a direct positive impact on sales. To develop the Excellence variant vanilla, we used an innovative flavor simulation in the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg. With four different flavor combinations, we engaged more than 1,500 international visitors in the development process at an early stage.

In the French Market, Lindt & Sprüngli achieved sales of EUR 430 million, an organic growth of 5.3%. In the financial year, Lindt further strengthened its leading position in the chocolate bar market and widened the gap to second place. The Excellence line has the largest market share in France. The launch of the new Pailleté product range has attracted new customers. The Excellence Pailleté range, which includes variations such as Pailleté Dentelle, Pailleté Gaufrette and Pailleté éclats de cacao, made it on to the list of top 20 innovations from the Nielsen market research institute. Thanks to targeted sales support in the retail trade, Lindt & Sprüngli recorded exceptional Easter and Christmas business results, and for Valentine’s Day, pralines, which are often bought as gifts, were particularly popular. Appropriate advertising measures increased the visibility of the brand on this occasion, which directly translated into sales. Lindor recorded double-digit growth which is attributable to strong activation, especially during the Christmas season. The launch of the new Salted Caramel variant has also boosted sales in this product segment.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Lindt & Sprüngli achieved sales of GBP 294 million, an organic growth of 10.0%. Despite the difficult circumstances due to high inflation in the market and legislation restricting the presentation of products with a comparatively high fat, salt and sugar content, the Lindt business developed very well. Thanks to more shelf space, we were able to increase the visibility of our praline and seasonal categories in grocery stores. Lindor remained the most popular product here. The Lindt Bars achieved strong growth, driven by Excellence, which was able to defend its position as market leader in the dark chocolate segment. The introduction of Swiss Classics as a chocolate bar also contributed to the success. Business in our own shops continued to develop positively. Lindor was the most important growth driver in the UK and Ireland, alongside a strong seasonal business and an increasing demand for high-quality gifts. In summer 2023, Lindt & Sprüngli UK was one of the first subsidiaries to launch the crispy, creamy Lindt Choco Wafer in three variants to meet additional consumer needs. The product range was extremely well received by both consumers and retailers and was even named “Innovation of the Year” by the trade magazine “The Grocer” in the confectionery category.