Group sales of Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG increased to CHF 4.59 bn (previous year: CHF 4.02 bn), which translates to remarkable growth in Swiss francs of 14.2% and organic growth of 13.3%. According to the company, the operating profit (EBIT) increased by 53.4% to CHF 644.9 m, representing an EBIT margin of 14.1% (previous year: CHF 420.3 m and 10.5%). These results are noteworthy because the sales gap which was caused by the pandemic year 2020 was not only closed, but Lindt & Sprüngli also outperformed the good results from 2019, the year before the pandemic, by 6.4% organically.
Net income for the financial year 2021 grew by 53.2% to CHF 490.5 m, resulting in a return on sales of 10.7% (previous year: CHF 320.1 m and 8.0%). Free cash flow increased by 8.8% to CHF 586.0 m, leading to a cash flow margin of 12.8%. The Swiss franc depreciated slightly in 2021. This resulted in a positive currency translation effect of 0.4%. As of December 31, 2021, total assets amounted to CHF 8.956 bn and the equity ratio was 58.3% (previous year: CHF 8.051 bn and 57.2%), showing that Lindt & Sprüngli continues to be very solidly financed. The positive development of the Group results is being driven by the results of all segments, as all three business regions achieved good double-digit growth.
In the Europe segment, organic growth reached 13.8%. Sales of CHF 2.33 bn (previous year: CHF 2.01 bn) were achieved, with Germany, France, and the UK remaining the strongest markets in terms of sales. Particularly impressive was the exceptional organic growth of 18.2% in the UK. Organic growth in the North America segment was at 10.7%, with sales increasing to CHF 1.69 bn (previous year: CHF 1.54 bn). In the USA, Lindt & Sprüngli grew faster than the overall market, thereby once again increasing its market share in the world’s most important chocolate market. As a result, Lindt & Sprüngli maintained its position as the number 1 supplier of premium chocolate products and as the number 3 supplier in the overall market. Canada also recorded good growth. In the Rest of the World segment, organic sales growth was strongest at 19.7%, reaching sales of CHF 568 m (previous year: CHF 469 m). Markets such as China, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa continue to show great sales potential and recorded good growth.