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Lindt & Sprüngli ousts CEO amid pricing crisis
Lindt & Sprüngli has removed CEO Adalbert Lechner following a significant decline in company performance and a sharp drop in share prices, which have fallen by more than 25 percent this year. Former CEO Dieter Weisskopf has been appointed as interim chief executive, with a permanent successor expected to be named in the second quarter of 2027.
The leadership change follows a period of financial instability triggered by rising cocoa prices, which reached historic highs in 2024. Executive Chairman Ernst Tanner admitted that the company misjudged consumer sensitivity to price increases, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This miscalculation led customers to switch to cheaper alternatives.
To regain market share and address declining sales, Lindt has implemented aggressive price reductions and discount campaigns. In some retail instances, the price per kilogram of certain Lindt milk chocolate bars has become lower than that of competitors like Milka. Despite the crisis, Tanner has ruled out group-wide job cuts, stating that the company aims to maintain or even increase its workforce of approximately 15,000 employees in the coming years.
Entities
Adalbert Lechner · Dieter Weisskopf · Ernst Tanner · Lindt & Sprüngli · Michal Spiller · Milka · Zurich Stock Exchange
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Dieter Weisskopf has been appointed as interim CEO. www.world-today-news.com · www.cash.ch · www.blick.ch
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lindt & Sprüngli will not implement group-wide job cuts. www.cash.ch · paratic.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A permanent CEO is expected to be named in the second quarter of 2027. www.world-today-news.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lindt & Sprüngli removed CEO Adalbert Lechner. www.world-today-news.com · www.faz.net
- [● 2 SOURCES] Ernst Tanner declined to resign from his position as Executive Chairman. www.cash.ch · www.t-online.de
- [● 5 SOURCES] The company misjudged consumer response to price increases. www.cash.ch · www.world-today-news.com · www.t-online.de · paratic.com · tn.nova.cz
- [● 4 SOURCES] Cocoa prices reached historic highs starting in 2024. www.t-online.de · paratic.com · tn.nova.cz · www.world-today-news.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Lindt & Sprüngli shares have fallen by more than 25 percent this year. www.world-today-news.com · www.blick.ch · www.faz.net