(Reuters) -Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli on Tuesday said its sales grew 7.8% organically last year, coming in a touch below market expectations, hit by record high cocoa prices and weakened consumer sentiment.

The maker of Lindor chocolate balls said its overall sales were 5.47 billion Swiss francs ($5.97 billion) in 2024. That missed analysts' average forecast of 5.49 billion francs, based on LSEG data.

The company said it expected to achieve an operating profit margin of at least 16% for 2024, compared to 15.6% a year before.

For 2025, Lindt forecast organic growth of between 7% and 9% and an improvement in its operating profit margin of 20-40 basis points.

With cocoa prices having nearly tripled over 2024, analysts are expecting the chocolate market to face an unprecedented cost headwind this year.

Cocoa prices rose by almost 180%, a second successive yearly increase after 61% growth in 2023. This has forced Lindt to further hike its selling prices for 2025, it said in the trading statement.

It will report full annual results on March 4.

($1 = 0.9158 Swiss francs)