Higher retail prices drive Lindt & Sprüngli annual growth, despite market challenges

The CEO of  Lindt & Sprüngli, Adalbert Lechner, has welcomed strong annual sales performance that a group sales upturn of 8.2% to CHF 5.92 billion for 2025, reports Neill Barston.

Notably, the premium brand chocolate business has bucked the trend in many luxury confectionery businesses, in which high cocoa prices over the past 18 months had negatively impacted sales in some instances.

However, the company posted organic growth of 12.4%, with the company noting that higher production costs had been offset by double-digit price increases for its chocolate portfolio, which reached around 19% in higher retail prices across the group.

Among its stand-out performers was its Lindt Dubai style chocolate, which was among ‘the’ trends of the past year, as manufacturers from across the globe sought to offer their own take on the concept, with Russell Stover and Ghirardelli both launching their distinctive versions.

Adalbert Lechner commented: “Consumers still long for quality, moments of bliss, a small, special treat – and as a premium brand we meet that demand. People are striving for high-quality chocolate that delivers an exceptional experience.”

As the business observed, the  financial year 2025 was shaped by geopolitical and economic uncertainty, cautious consumer behaviour, and unprecedented high cocoa costs, resulting in double digit price increases and lower volumes across the industry.

Despite these headwinds, the Lindt & Sprüngli Group remained resilient and leveraged its premium positioning and was again able to grow above market average and hence increase its market share. Globally, consumers continued to trade up for quality, reinforcing the trend toward premiumisation.

Significantly, in Global Retail, sales in the around 620 own stores and 21 e-shops (previous year: 568 own stores) grew substantially across all markets with an overall 20.8% growth, driven by strong organic growth as well as expansion.

Growth patterns
In terms of regional breakdowns, Europe saw sales growth of 15% to CHF 2.96 billion, with increases of more than 20% in Benelux, Central Eastern Europe, the Nordics, as well as Spain and Portugal. Across all markets, the key growth drivers were Excellence dark tablets, Lindor, the seasonal heroes Gold Bunny and Teddy and the launch of Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate.

Moreover, the company noted there had been continued economic uncertainties, and weaker consumer demand in North America, yet there was still organic growth of 8.9% to 2.18 billion in the year. It cited a strong performance from Lindor and Excellence, as well as its Dubai style chocolate as key performers.

Finally, the rest of the world offered 11.7% growth, with sales of CHF 0.78 billion, with Japan, Brazil, South Africa and China showing marked interest in its confectionery series. 

The Rest of the World delivered organic growth of 11.7% for the full year, reaching CHF 0.78 billion, with double-digit gains in key markets such as Japan, Brazil, South Africa, China, and Chile. In the reporting year, Lindt & Sprüngli opened its first six stores in the newly established Chilean subsidiary.

As for its outlook, the business confirmed it had targeted 6-8% further growth within its operations, despite ongoing market challenges.