Dividend payment season is highly anticipated by investors, especially those with stakes in companies that also pay dividends “in kind.”

The relationship between investors and the company’s management resembles a friendly relationship: in difficult moments, one depends on the other, and small gifts support both friendship and good relations between investors and managers, writes the Swiss press.

The companies we talk about below take this principle particularly seriously. In addition to the classic “gift” – a financial dividend, they reward their shareholders with a super-financial benefit.

The value and use of in-kind dividends varies from company to company, but from a company’s perspective, it certainly increases investor loyalty and earns goodwill.

Lindt & Sprüngli

Chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli is known worldwide for its dividends in nature. His blue bag, full of candies and weighing up to five kilograms, is presented by shareholders at the annual general meeting.

That this wonderful gift is not collected by more private investors is perhaps mainly due to the price of Lindt shares. It stood at 71,000 Swiss francs on Wednesday morning.

The blue Lindt gift bags sell for around €1,000 on the black market.

Warm

A gift from the Calida clothing company is more practical. If you hold a minimum of 20 shares in the 30 days before the general meeting of shareholders, you will receive free nightwear (eg pyjamas) once a year. You don’t even have to show up to pick up your gift. If the investor is registered in the share register, he will receive the gift by mail.

Einbecker Brewery

At the Einbecker brewery’s annual general meeting, shareholders are given a six-pack of beer each year, says Ulrich Meiser, a spokesman for the medium-sized company from Lower Saxony.

Samples

A gift from the Swiss watchmaker Swatch does not depend on age. Investors get a limited edition model straight to the door. That’s right, there is one condition: the delivery address must be in Switzerland.

Nidwaldner Cantonal Bank offers all shareholders a package of Nidwaldner grilled cheese. During the pandemic, when 1,500 grilled cheeses were ready for delivery, the General Assembly was adjourned, so the cheeses were given to the Ministry of Health, which distributed them to patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

Rigi Bahnen shareholders receive a one-day ticket worth 72 Swiss francs, which can be redeemed on the day of the general meeting. Owning one share of Rigi (priced at 10 Swiss francs) yields a return of over 700%. Other mountain railway companies also know how to convince shareholders that they are worth their money by offering free rides and ski passes.

Berlin Zoo offers its senior shareholders a unique service: for €675 you get a lifetime visit to the zoo for yourself and 2 other people.

The case of the German automaker Daimler, whose general meeting in 2016 was intervened by the police, is no less well-known. Reason? Two shareholders quarreled over sausages given to them by Daimler’s management.

Here you can view a list of companies that offer dividends in kind