The Barry Callebaut Group reported a continued recovery of its sales volume to 1.072 m tonnes in the first six months of fiscal year 2020/21 (ended on February 28, 2021), corresponding to a decline of 2.9%.  

Sales volume in the chocolate business continued to improve and nearly returned to positive territory in the second quarter (- 0.2%). In the period under review, this resulted in a 1.0% decline compared to a slightly positive underlying global chocolate confectionery market (+ 0.8%) according to Nielsen.
Sales revenue amounted to CHF 3.482 bn, flat at 0.0% in local currencies (- 7.5% in CHF).

Gross profit amounted to CHF 569.2 m and was stable at 0.0% in local currencies (- 6.3% in CHF) compared to the first six months of prior year. The volume decline due to the Covid-19 pandemic still had a negative impact on Gross profit, but it was mitigated by a positive mix effect and the continued focus on "smart growth" in the Cocoa business. Operating profit (EBIT) amounted to CHF 296.7 m, an increase of 3.8% in local currencies (- 4.7% in CHF).
CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique said: “Over the first six months of the fiscal year we have seen continued volume recovery and solid profitability in a still challenging market environment. The disciplined execution of our ‘smart growth’ strategy, in combination with continuous capability building and the successful sharpening of our business model, are the basis for our improving performance.”