ZURICH: Sales of Swiss chocolate grew by 3.1 per cent in 2017 thanks to foreign demand, despite a decline in domestic consumption, Chocosuisse reported Thursday.
Chocosuisse, the Federation of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers, reported total sales of 1.85 billion Swiss francs (1.98 billion US dollars) for the year. The total volume of chocolate sold also increased by 2.7 per cent to 190,731 tonnes, said the 80-year-old federation. However, sales inside Switzerland dropped by 1.3 per cent. Swiss residents consumed “only” 10.5 kilogrammes of chocolate a person in 2017; half a kilo less than the year before. It was the growth in exports that offset the decline in domestic consumption.
The volume sold abroad increased by 4.8 per cent to 127,923 tonnes, while total export turnover increased by 6.9 per cent to 936 million Swiss francs. After a three-year decline, the German market climbed in 2017, reporting a 16 per cent increase in sales.
Except for the United States, which was down by seven per cent, the other top five consumer destinations also grew: the UK by two per cent, France by eight per cent and Canada by six per cent.
