Lindt & Sprüngli to invest $201m in US chocolate facility

Swiss confectionery company Lindt & Sprüngli is set to invest Sfr200m ($201m) for the construction of new production lines for cocoa and chocolate mass at its plant in Stratham, New Hampshire, US.

The company plans to integrate the new high-tech production lines at the facility over the next three to four years.

The development is expected to support the company’s aim of expanding its presence within the US chocolate market.

Lindt & Sprüngli primarily focused on the European region during the first half of this year and made significant investments to expand capacities at the production facilities in Switzerland and Germany.

The company invested Sfr30m ($30.1m) to upgrade and expand its Lindt Cocoa Center in Olten, Switzerland, which produces cocoa mass for production companies across Europe.

The investment in the Lindt Cocoa Center is noted to represent an important step towards strengthening Switzerland’s long-term position as a key business location.

In addition, the company has begun construction work at its Aachen plant in Germany to upgrade its logistics warehouse, as well as link the site’s logistics and production facilities via a fully automated conveyor system.

The refurbishment works at the German facility will be carried out through an investment of more than Sfr25m ($25.1m).

Lindt & Sprüngli is also planning to open approximately 50 stores worldwide in future as part of the expansion of its Global Retail business.

The group anticipates continuing organic growth of around 5% for the full financial year.

The growth rate is expected to stay roughly the same as the first half during the second half of the year.

Lindt & Sprüngli currently operates stores in Germany, Italy, and Japan.