The Russian division of Ritter Sport received a loss of 478 million rubles – Kommersant

Ritter Sport Chocolate LLC received a net loss under RAS of 478 million rubles. in 2023 against net profit of 1.1 billion rubles. in 2022. Revenue grew by 10% year-on-year, from RUB 7.5 billion. up to 8.2 billion rubles. A Russian legal entity imports Ritter Sport chocolate from the German manufacturer Alfred Ritter.

The company’s materials were noticed “Vedomosti”. Alfred Ritter did not refuse to supply chocolate to Russia after the entry of troops into Ukraine. CEO Andreas Ronken explained to DPA that otherwise the company would have to greatly reduce the purchase of cocoa beans from African farmers and this would lead to their ruin. Profits from sales in Russia, he said, go to charitable organizations in Ukraine. In 2022, about €1.5 million was allocated for these purposes, in 2023 – €990 thousand. The company told German media that the money is sent to German funds that purchase mobile clinics and ambulances for Ukraine and help residents prepare for winter and are busy with other projects.

Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG in 2023 increased revenue by 5% to €565 million. The Russian market accounts for slightly less than 10% of revenue. The share decreased in 2023 due to the weakening of the ruble. Ritter Sport is supplied to more than 100 countries; Russia is the largest market for the manufacturer after Germany.

Ritter Sport in 2023 dropped from 4th to 6th place in the NTech-500 rating with a share of 7.9% in sales in monetary terms, losing two places to the brands Alenka (8.7%) and Babaevsky (8. 3%). The first three places were taken by Alpen Gold (20.2%) and Milka (17.2%) of the American Mondelez International and “Russia Generous Soul” (10.5%) of the Swiss Nestle. Leading analyst at Veles Capital Artem Mikhailin noted that sales of Ritter Sport increased by 10%, but the cost of products sold increased by 50% year on year.

Leonid Uvarchev