Lindt & Sprüngli reports strong growth in 2024
Lindt & Sprüngli grew strongly in 2024. The Swiss chocolate manufacturer is also aiming for above-average growth in the current financial year.
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According to a press release issued on Tuesday, the Kilchberg-based company increased its sales of Lindor balls, pralines and chocolate bunnies by 5.1% to CHF5.47 billion ($6 billion) last year. This is the second time in the company’s history that the CHF5 billion mark has been surpassed.
Currencies reduced the result by 2.7%. In organic terms, i.e. excluding currency effects, growth amounted to 7.8% (H1: +7%). Growth was supported by price increases in the mid-single-digit range to compensate for higher cocoa prices as well as a solid volume/mix development, according to the press release. All regions contributed to the sales growth.
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With these figures, Lindt is in the upper range of its own long-term targets of 6% to 8% for the most important figure, organic growth. Analysts surveyed by the news agency AWP had on average expected a slightly lower growth rate of 7.2%.
The company can look back on a challenging year that was characterised by record-high cocoa prices, considerable price increases and subdued consumer sentiment, Lindt said. The cocoa market was volatile in the year under review, with cocoa prices reaching an all-time high at the end of the year. To compensate for the high cocoa prices, the company was forced to raise prices, which will also be necessary in 2025.
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Significant increase in margin expected
Profit and margin figures have not yet been announced. They will follow together with the detailed figures on March 4. However, Lindt states in the press release that it is confident of achieving an operating profit margin (EBIT) of at least 16% (previous year: 15.6%).
In the current year 2025, Lindt expects – based on the “necessary price adjustments” – an increase in organic growth of 7% to 9% and an improvement in the operating profit margin of 0.20 to 0.40 percentage points.
For the years after 2025, the company confirms its medium to long-term targets of organic sales growth of 6% to 8% with an improvement in the operating profit margin of 0.20 to 0.40 percentage points per year.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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