Pacesetting German Chocolate Maker Ritter Sport Grows By 50% In U.K.
Value growth of family-owned chocolate brand Ritter Sport hit 50% last year in the British market, the biggest ever gain for the German company's British affiliate since it was established in 2014. The boost has encouraged the business to move forward with a newcomer brand—Amicelli—bought from pet food to confectionery maker, Mars Corporation in August 2020.
Ritter Sport's year-over-year increase in 2024 was its highest ever. It was also achieved on a strong comparison base because 2023 had already been a record-breaker. The growth was fairly even across big British grocery players like Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, and online supermarket Ocado.
The UK is one of the biggest chocolate markets in the world valued at about $6.5 billion. Of this the chocolate tablet (or block) category is worth $1.4bn, second only to Germany in Europe, and slightly ahead of France.
Based on Nielsen ScanTrack data for 2024, Ritter Sport, founded in 1912, was 215% ahead of the overall British confectionery market growth when it came to grocery multiples. The strong gains come in an environment where cocoa costs have gone through the roof resulting in rising prices in the past two years, and highly-inflated pricing of this season's Easter eggs—all at a time when consumer spending is being reined in, according to the latest data from KPMG.
So how has Ritter Sport cut through? A combination of strategic initiatives is the answer. U.K. and Ireland managing director, Benedict Daniels, said: 'The success is driven by our core block products and innovations such as Amicelli and Ritter Sport Duo.' The latter combines two flavor varieties in one bar. Novel lines and flavors have enabled the brand to expand distribution and shelf space within the grocery multiples. In a statement, the brand said: 'The launch of Ritter Sport Duo has added significant incremental category value.'
Daniels told me: 'A big catalyst was that we started with Tesco in January 2024. We previously traded with them in the mid-90s, so it's fantastic to start again. Other accounts also showed significant growth' a lot of it from innovation. As well as the Duo introduction, we had several new flavors; Pistachio in particular is one of the most successful products we've ever launched in the U.K.'
Benedict Daniels: 'Britain and Ireland consistently have the highest chocolate consumption per ... More capita, affording Ritter Sport huge room for accelerated growth.'
According to Daniels pistachio is typically the top selling SKU of every range at the moment and often the top premium nut SKU with retailers it's listed in, ahead of more established brands like Lindt and Green & Black's, and challengers like Tony's Chocolonely.
Coupled with store expansion and new product development, Ritter Sport has grown its team and infrastructure over the past three years to give it a higher profile among Brits. Last year, this was backed by the brand's largest-ever U.K. marketing spend which led to record penetration and sales growth. A DHL partnership to boost capacity, co-packing and direct-to-consumer capabilities plus enhanced vertical integration at the company's cocoa farm in Nicaragua have also helped.
Daniels added: 'Britain and Ireland consistently have the highest chocolate consumption per capita, affording Ritter Sport huge room for accelerated growth in both all-year-round and seasonal segments.'
The German brand is investing heavily in its visually very distinct 'World of More' platform featuring its Don Chocco sloth which represents the company's value chain and Nicaraguan cocoa. 'This platform was tested well before it went to market and has been a significant driver. It focuses on taste, quality and sustainability,' said Daniels.
The MD added: 'The big change from last year and into 2025 is that we are investing significantly behind our second brand Amicelli. It had an initial test in Sainsbury's in 2023 which was very positive and in December actually out-sold iconic boxed SKUs like Ferrero Rocher T16 200g. It was then rolled out into Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Ocado and Amazon in 2024.
Ritter Sport has plans to keep the momentum behind Amicelli going this year and retain it leading growth position in the U.K. The company claims to have out-performed the British chocolate market for 20 consecutive quarters allowing it to more than double its share in the past five years.'
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