Lindt & Spruengli to invest $200mn in US expansion as chocolate sales rebound

Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli revealed it plans to invest $200mn to expand its plant in New Hampshire, USA, as it tries to further challenge competitors Hershey Co. and Mars Inc.

The plant will reportedly add new product lines and automation “for premium chocolate” and it will eventually have more than 1mn sq ft of space for production, storage and distribution, according to Bloomberg.  

The news comes after the Lindt chocolate maker announced it was on track to achieve its growth target this year.

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Lindt & Spruengli revealed that its group sales climbed 7.7% in the first half-year of the year, generating consolidated sales of CHF1.67bn ($1.68bn).

The chocolatier also highlighted that its organic growth increased 5.1%, thanks to “particularly impressive” market share gains in Europe.

Lindt & Spruengli said that an improvement in the important US market also helped to accelerate growth.

The Zurich-based firm became the third-largest chocolate maker in the US when it bought Russell Stover in 2014, in a purchase that weighed on sales growth.

The firm's first-half operating profit rose 12% in line with analysts’ estimates.