Swiss confectioners successful despite difficult climate

Swiss manufacturers of sugar confectionery almost matched last year's volumes, selling a total of 31,475 tonnes of sweets and other sugar confectionery manufactured on their premises. Pleasingly, the turnover thus achieved enabled them to post a figure of CHF 324 million, a 3.0 % increase, despite the slight fall in domestic turnover and the strength of the Swiss franc. The total sales (domestic and export) of Swiss sugar confectionery manufactured on an industrial scale (sugar-containing and sugar-free sweets, chewing gum, sugar-coated goods, marzipan, cough and throat lozenges subject to the legislation on Therapeutic Products, etc.) remained fairly stable during 2012, falling just 0.8 % to 31,475 tonnes. Sales of hard sweets remained practically unchanged (+ 0.2 %). Soft sweets (- 4.9 %), sugar-coated goods (- 1.6 %) and both jelly sweets and gumdrops (- 12.8 %) all saw volumes fall during 2012. In contrast the product category of other formed sugar confectionery enjoyed an increase of 4.3 %. Sugar-free sweets saw sales rise by 7.0 % in terms of volume. Total turnover improved by 3.0 % to CHF 324 million compared to the previous year. On the domestic market, the Swiss sugar confectionery industry sold a total of 7,056 tonnes of products in 2012, some 4.1 % less as in the previous year. The market share of domestic manufacturers fell from 27.5 % to 26.6 %. Domestic sales of domestic and imported sugar confectionery declined slightly to 26,515 tonnes (- 1.0 %). Compared to the previous year, average consumption per head decreased by 70 g and currently lies at just under 3.3 kg. The proportion of sugarfree sweets in terms of domestic consumption increased from 19.7 % to 20.9 %. Exports for 2012 remained practically unchanged compared to the previous year at 24,419 tonnes (+ 0.2 %). The turnover thus achieved, however, represents a pleasing increase of 5.5 % to CHF 224 million.