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…

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…

Restrictions on movement, changing consumer preferences and the heightened focus on safety triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic are anticipated to alter the future of consumer mobility, urban planning and construction. The surge in homeworking, reduced…

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.…

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…

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…