Retailing

Post-pandemic, consumers in Switzerland began to spend much more time outside of the home for work and leisure activities, boosting demand for on-the-go products sold through vending machines. In 2023, this trend continued, but growth was more…

Although supermarkets saw modest declines across all metrics in 2023, the channel remained Switzerland's leading grocery retail channel in current value terms due to the significant store network across the country. By comparison, the number of…

Small local grocers recorded moderate current value growth in Switzerland in 2023, mainly driven by price increases as a result of energy, production and supply chain costs. These retailers are struggling to compete with larger retail chains that…

Retail sales in Switzerland in 2023 saw minimal current value growth, which was solely driven by price increases. Paradoxically, this was also one of the main limiting factors on demand. Substantial increases in the cost of living made local…

E-commerce enjoyed a boom during the pandemic as many local consumers spent significant amounts of time at home for work and leisure and reduced spending on events, entertainment and shopping in-store. As a result, growth was more moderate in 2023.…

Despite, or rather because of, average price increases, grocery sales and thus sales through grocery retailers, including hypermarkets, declined in Switzerland in 2023. Local consumers remained highly price sensitive and prioritised essential…

After enjoying growth during the pandemic, home products specialists recorded a decline in current value sales in 2023 as Swiss consumers returned to pre-pandemic activity and purchasing behaviour. This was to be somewhat expected in a mature and…

Health and beauty specialists in Switzerland recorded modest growth in 2023, mainly driven by evolving self-care trends and growing health consciousness. Health and wellness continue to play major roles in Swiss consumers’ lives, especially as daily…

General merchandise stores recorded a decline in sales in Switzerland in 2023, mainly as a result of the performance of department stores, which are often considered outdated and old-fashioned and are increasingly being replaced by shopping malls and…

Discounters benefitted from heightened price sensitivity in Switzerland in 2023. With average prices increasing across almost all areas of daily life, including in groceries, many local consumers sought to rein in their spending by purchasing…

After years of strong growth during the review period, direct selling in Switzerland recorded decline in 2023, although sales remained above pre-pandemic levels. Local consumers returned to shopping outside of the home, visiting stores more…

Convenience retailers in Switzerland remained popular in 2023, partly due to their extended opening hours, since many stay open 24/7 or at least operate late hours. In addition, wide store networks across easily accessible locations with high…

Appliance and electronics specialists recorded a decline in current retail value sales in Switzerland in 2023 as a result of a combination of factors. Average prices across the category, combined with the higher cost of living in general, dampened…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Switzerland saw a decline in current value sales in 2023 due to consumer price sensitivity, which led to the prioritisation of essential products and a shift towards private label lines and discounters. Moreover,…

Variety stores are a small retailing channel in terms of value sales in Switzerland. However, variety stores are gaining some value share and registered positive current value growth both in 2020 and 2021. Variety stores benefit from Swiss consumers’…

Traditional grocery retailers gained from the pandemic lockdowns, as with people’s movements being restricted, they shopped in local neighbourhood stores. Essentially COVID-19 had the effect of boosting the growing trend for shopping locally and…

Mobile e-commerce registered an even higher increase in current value sales in 2021 than e-commerce overall and mobile e-commerce now accounts for nearly half of total e-commerce sales. The healthy growth is supported by very high penetration of…

Homeshopping has been on a constant downward trend over the review period and this continued into 2021, with a further decline in value sales. Homeshopping is losing ground to online sales, with the profile of homeshopping consumers mainly older…

Unlike many other retailers during the 2020 pandemic, home and gardening performed well, as with people confined to home, home improvement and gardening stores performed well, as consumers look to renovation work and gardening during the lockdowns.…

Health and beauty specialists registered a slight decline in value sales in 2021, due to its largest channel, chemists/pharmacies, registering a significant drop in value sales, as consumers were less concerned about COVID-19. Also, as many consumers…