Price rises sweeten Lindt's results

Lindt & Spruengli AG, Switzerland's oldest chocolate maker, said that first-half profit rose 4.6 percent as it raised prices on its confections, passing higher cocoa costs on to consumers.

Net income climbed to 22.9 million Swiss francs ($21 million) from 21.9 million francs in the year-earlier period, the Kilchberg, Switzerland-based company said yesterday in a statement on its website. That compared with the 23.2 million-franc median estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.