Swiss chocolatier lifts sales to CHF 5.92bn as premium demand and price rises offset volatile market conditions.

Lindt & Sprüngli has reported strong organic growth in 2025, defying geopolitical uncertainty, cautious consumers and record-high cocoa prices.

The Swiss chocolate group said organic sales rose 12.4% to CHF 5.92 billion, while reported sales increased 8.2%, reflecting a negative currency impact of 3.9%. Growth was driven by double-digit price increases, continued consumer demand for premium chocolate, and the global rollout of its Dubai Style Chocolate range.

The company said the wider chocolate industry faced falling volumes as cocoa prices surged, forcing manufacturers to raise prices sharply. Lindt & Sprüngli implemented group-wide price increases of around 19% during the year but said its premium positioning helped it grow faster than the market and gain share.

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

Strong growth across regions

Europe delivered the strongest performance, with organic growth of 15.3% to CHF 2.96 billion. All European subsidiaries recorded double-digit growth, with increases of more than 20% in Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, the Nordics, Spain and Portugal. Core brands including Lindor, Excellence dark tablets and seasonal products such as Gold Bunny and Teddy drove demand, alongside the launch of Dubai Style Chocolate.

North America posted organic growth of 8.9% for the full year, reaching CHF 2.18 billion. Growth accelerated to 11.9% in the second half, supported by strong sales of Lindor and Excellence, the rollout of Dubai Style Chocolate across retail and wholesale, and baking products at Ghirardelli.

The Rest of the World division grew organically by 11.7% to CHF 0.78 billion, with double-digit gains in markets including Japan, Brazil, South Africa, China and Chile. Lindt & Sprüngli also opened its first six stores in Chile during the year.

Retail expansion and innovation

Global Retail was a standout performer, with sales rising 20.8% across Lindt’s network of around 620 own stores and 21 e-shops, up from 568 stores a year earlier. The growth reflected both strong like-for-like performance and ongoing network expansion.

Product innovation played a central role in 2025, led by the global launch of Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate, which was extended into pralines, countlines and dark and white chocolate variants. In North America, Ghirardelli and Russell Stover introduced their own Dubai Style products. The group also expanded its Excellence range with Pistachio and launched new Lindor flavours including Shortbread and Golden Caramel.

Outlook

Lindt & Sprüngli said it expects to deliver an increase in operating profit margin (EBIT) at the lower end of its 20–40 basis point target for 2025, compared with 16.2% in the previous year.

Looking ahead, the company reiterated its medium- to long-term targets of 6–8% organic sales growth and annual operating margin improvements of 20–40 basis points from 2026 onwards.

Full-year results for 2025 will be published at 7:00am on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.