Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli has claimed an “excellent” first half of the year after enjoying a leap in both sales and earnings.
Lindt saw profits more than double to CHF31.7m (US$26.3m) on the back of a 13.5% rise in sales to CHF1.1bn.
Sales in Lindt’s two main operating regions – Europe and the Middle East and North America – both saw double-digit growth as the company successfully tapped into the gift-oriented premium chocolate segment.
A series of launches across Valentine’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day buoyed sales in both regions with revenue in Europe and the Middle East up 16.2% to CHF800.6m. Sales in North America rose 14.5% to CHF245.3m.
Rising commodity costs, in particular for dairy products, has weighed on more mainstream confectioners, including Cadbury and Hershey, in recent months.
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By GlobalDataLindt claimed, however, that its purchasing contracts had meant rising raw material prices had had “no overall negative effect” on costs.
Nevertheless, the upmarket chocolate firm warned that it would be “more likely” to increase prices during the second half, a move, the company believed, consumers would accept.
“Lindt firmly believes that a price increase would be accepted by consumers because of Lindt’s exclusive positioning in the premium chocolate segment and the unconditional product quality,” the company said.