Kilchberg, July 25, 2017 – The conditions in the first half-year were unchanged and remained difficult for the whole industry. Stagnating or only slightly growing chocolate markets, a consumer sentiment that remained largely restrained and an ever changing trade landscape posed great challenges for the industry. Lindt & Sprüngli however still managed to win market shares in strategically important markets and increased Group sales to CHF 1.549 billion, which corresponds to an organic growth of +3.6%. The strategic realignment of Russell Stover is making progress, but will take more time than originally anticipated. Excluding Russell Stover, a growth of +6.6% can be reported for the first half-year. Given the challenging market conditions, this represents an above-average result and is in line with our medium-/long-term strategic targets. It underlines the essential soundness of Lindt & Sprüngli’s core business that generates approximately 75% of Group sales with the Lindt brand.