Lindt & Sprüngli achieves sales worth CHF 4 billion for the first time

Given the challenging conditions, such as largely saturated chocolate markets, a changing retail landscape and growing pressure on prices, this represents a good performance. According to the company, the results achieved in Europe and the Rest of the World segment are particularly worth mentioning, as is the development of the Group's own retail network, which continues apace and reached sales worth half a billion Swiss francs for the first time. Despite weaker results in the USA, Lindt & Sprüngli remains on track in the world's largest chocolate market and during the last financial year set the foundation for further profitable growth.

Group sales in 2017 amounted to CHF 4.088 bn, equivalent to a 4.8% increase in Swiss francs. 2017 saw a degree of fluctuation in terms of currency trends. This resulted in a positive currency translation effect on the consolidated results – mainly due to a stronger euro. The organic sales growth of Lindt & Sprüngli was with 3.7% below the range of the long-term strategic growth target due to the modest growth of the US companies. Excluding Russell Stover, Lindt & Sprüngli achieved 5.9% organic sales growth and underlines that the business remains in a strong position. Lindt & Sprüngli generated good results in Europe, where it achieved organic sales growth of 6.2%. Lindt performed particularly well in the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. France and Italy showed a positive sales growth development and almost all the smaller subsidiaries accomplished double-digit growth.

In the NAFTA region, Lindt & Sprüngli recorded a slight 1.6% organic decline in sales in the challenging US market. A highlight in the region was the outstanding result achieved by Lindt Canada which achieved double-digit growth. The Rest of the World segment is becoming increasingly important and making an ever greater contribution to the development of the Lindt & Sprüngli Group. Business in the countries of this region are reaching faster-than-average organic sales growth of 12.4%.