Manner slips into loss as cocoa costs weigh on first-half results

Vienna confectionery maker Manner reported an operating loss of 664,000 euros in the first half of 2026 as high raw material costs weighed on its results, ORF reported. The company recorded an operating profit of about 3.9 million euros in the same period last year.

Revenue fell 0.9 percent to 138.1 million euros, the listed company said on Tuesday. The decline in operating profit was in line with preliminary figures published at the end of July, which had forecast a negative EBIT of between 200,000 and 700,000 euros.

Manner posted a net loss of about 2.15 million euros for the first six months, compared with a profit of 2 million euros in the first half of 2025. Sales volumes fell 4.1 percent to 23,614 tonnes.

High cocoa prices pressure margins

“Exceptionally high cocoa prices also placed a considerable burden on Manner’s cost structure and put significant pressure on margins,” the company’s management said in its half-year financial report.

Falling prices on raw material markets will not affect 2026 because the company had already hedged its purchases through forward contracts, management said.

Revenue in Austria, Manner’s most important segment, fell to 54.65 million euros. Revenue in Germany rose to 41.05 million euros, but the segment’s EBIT turned negative at 1.19 million euros.

Equity fell 7.6 percent to 71.7 million euros, partly because of the loss-making first half and the payment of a 3.78 million-euro dividend for 2025. The equity ratio stood at 43 percent.

For the full 2026 financial year, management expects revenue and operating profit to decline. It said procurement costs for cocoa, hazelnuts and coconut fats were expected to remain high in the second half.