A mixed year for the Swiss biscuit bakers

Total sales by the Swiss long-life bakery product manufacturers were unable to maintain the level of the previous year and decreased by 2.0 % to 47,567 tonnes. The generated turnover shrank by 4.8 % and now amounts to CHF 456.9 million. Long-life bakery products include savoury snacks and nibbles, breadlike biscuits such as rusks and crispbread, special products (semi-finished desserts etc.), specialities (for example chocolate-coated biscuits), standard biscuits and "long-life fresh baked goods" such as cakes and cereal bars. Standard biscuits (40.1 %) and specialities (31.1 %) accounted for approximately 71 % of total sales. The largest growth rate in terms of volume – as in the previous year – was achieved with "long-life fresh baked goods" (+ 6.4 %). An increase in sales volume of 3.1 % was reported for savoury snacks and nibbles. Bread-like biscuits lie at the same level as the previous year with a share of 9.2 % of the total volume sold. On the domestic market, 1.8 % fewer products were sold with 31,402 tonnes. The resulting turnover fell by 1.9 % to CHF 326.9 million compared with the previous year. There was an increase in the demand for "long-life fresh baked goods". These grew by an impressive 23.8 % compared with the previous year and amounted to 1,275 tonnes. A decrease in volume of 4.2 % was noted for domestic sales of standard biscuits. The quantity of imported long-life bakery products fell slightly by 0.4 % to 21,627 tonnes. The market share for domestically manufactured products was reduced from 59.7 % to 59.2 %. The annual average per capita consumption has fallen by 170 g compared with the previous year, as a result of the lower total domestic consumption, and is now 6.71 kg. On the export market, the industry has reported a decrease of 2.3 % with sales of 16,165 tonnes. The turnover achieved in the export market fell by 11.5 % to CHF 130 million, primarily due to changes in the exchange rate. The share of exported products in relation to total products sold has remained more or less constant compared with the previous year at 34 %. As always, Germany and its export share of 45.3 % led the 80 or so countries to which Swiss biscuits were exported in 2011, ahead of France (13.8 %), Austria (11.1 %) and the Czech Republic (4.1 %). For 2012, the industry is hoping to see a return to normal in the currency situation and an easing of the relevant raw materials markets.