Overview
- New price checks show branded Easter figures from Lindt, Milka, Kinder and Ferrero now cost 7% to 29% more than a year ago, with Lindt’s 100 g Goldhase up 70 cents to €4.99 and Milka’s 90 g Schmunzelhase up 22%.
- ICCO data put raw cocoa back near €2,800 to €3,100 per tonne, yet manufacturers cite long-term supply contracts and higher costs for nuts, packaging and transport as reasons shelf prices have not fallen.
- Shoppers are buying less chocolate and waiting for deals, with market data showing lower 2025 volumes and heavy reliance on promotions, and current offers cutting some Easter items to less than half the regular price.
- Discounters are leaning into cheaper own brands, a Hamburg neighborhood grocer dropped the Lindt Goldhase after its list price rose to €8.99 and stock went unsold, and a widely shared photo of €4.99 Milka bars drew online backlash.
- Producers are tweaking ranges to steady demand, with Milka rolling out multipacks to sharpen value and Ritter Sport launching 75 g premium dark bars made with cocoa from its Nicaragua plantation at a €2.29 list price.