⁍ Swiss chocolate sales fell 14.3% in the first eight months of the year.

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⁍ The COVID-19 pandemic hit travel retail and the industry’s business with hotels and restaurants.

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⁍ The decline was even more marked in the four months to August, at 21.5%.

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– The Swiss love their chocolate, but not so much anymore. The country’s chocolate industry says sales were down 14.3% in the first eight months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, Reuters reports. The industry association Chocosuisse blames the decline on the H1N1 flu pandemic, which has hit travel retail and the industry’s business with hotels and restaurants. “In these important markets, no recovery is in sight even longer term,” the association says. According to the BBC, more than 70% of Swiss chocolate is exported.