“I often think: We’re still doing too well,” says Andreas Ronken, head of the chocolate manufacturer Ritter Sport. By this he means Germany as a location, but also a little bit of his fellow citizens: he can also imagine a higher retirement age.
The boss of the chocolate manufacturer Ritter Sport, Andreas Ronken, is in favor of a higher retirement age. “We should retire later – because we can,” he said in an interview with the news portal “t-online”.
Personally, he likes to work longer hours. “Regardless of myself, I am convinced that many people can and want to work longer today because the health systems are better and the work is no longer as physically demanding as it used to be.” Ronken continued: “My grandfather died at 70; when he retired at 65 or 67, he only had a few years left – he was just physically worn out from the hard work. That’s no longer the norm.”
With a view to the economic situation in Germany, the CEO said: “You can’t blame everything on politics.” In some sectors there is a structural change that has not been optimally supported, not least by the EU. “What worries me the most is the regulatory madness and the constantly changing requirements. I think: we need more planning security and pragmatism.”
Germany continues to be a strong country, thanks to good education and good research. “But I think we first have to feel the pain of a loss of prosperity before we really make a move. I often think: We’re still doing too well.” The federal government is therefore all the more required to ensure a change. “We depend on this government – the SPD and the Union together – to achieve this,” said Ronken. “Otherwise it will be really tight.”
Russia still accounts for around 20 percent of Ritter Sport sales
Ronken also commented on his company’s decision to continue doing business with Russia. In the interview with “t-online” he admitted that the Russian business was no longer economically viable for the group. “In 2023 it was almost a million euros [Gewinn]last year still a good 200,000 euros. This year we probably won’t make any profits at all in Russia,” he said. Ronken cited the lack of advertising as reasons, among other things, and the price also plays a role. A bar of Ritter Sport now costs around 200 rubles in Russia, according to Ronken, the equivalent of around 2.25 euros.
Nevertheless, the manager defended the decision to continue supplying the Russian market despite the war of aggression against Ukraine. “It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my professional life. A dilemma between responsibility and attitude. I chose responsibility,” he said. A withdrawal would have had serious consequences: “If we had pulled out back then, I don’t think we would still exist in this form today.”
Russia accounts for around 20 percent of Ritter Sport sales, says Ronken. If this were to disappear from now on, it would be a catastrophe for a medium-sized company like Ritter Sport. An immediate exit would have endangered jobs and destroyed long-standing supply relationships. “It was a total of 100 million euros that were in the fire,” he said. “It would be similar to an exit from China for the local auto industry.”
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