I just read in the AZ ("[...] In 2014, Migros decided to rebuild. But since the reopening, sales have been well below the previous level - and not just because of the 14 percent reduction in space. The GfK comparison: in 2010, Migros City turned over 113 million francs, last year it was only 79 million - more than 30 percent less.") about the big drop in sales at Migros City since the renovation.
No surprise to me: the old Migros City was quite unique, open and inviting. The renovation was a step backwards, it now looks like an old-fashioned department store, the entrance in particular is dark and oppressive.
How can it be that the (supposed) experts didn't see this coming?
What are your impressions? Was the conversion a bad improvement?
When the center opened at the end of September 1983, it was still called "City Shopping" and was a minor sensation. It was built according to the American model and had two escalators next to the escalators. Migros could be found on every floor, except the one that could be reached by the first escalator. This floor was called GALERIE at the time - perhaps because it had to make do without Migros; perhaps because it was built slightly further back than the others. This may have been confusing for customers, and after a few years the GALERIE was renamed the 1st FLOOR (or 1st FLOOR?). Originally, there was a large kiosk store in the GALERIE, which also sold books and records. Later, Exlibris moved into this space, and most recently Tchibo was there.
The tenant mix was great, but Migros took up more and more space, so one external tenant after another moved out. The name CIY SHOPPING for the center did not catch on with the local population; this was probably because the large logo on the façade on Löwenstrasse was not seen by anyone. The name MIGROS CITY was displayed above the main entrance because it was the most complete Migros in Zurich, located in the city center and in CITY SHOPPING. But people only ever called the center MIGROS CITY. That's why the GMZ changed its name at some point.
Originally, there was the self-service restaurant AU JARDIN on the top floor and the staffed CAFÉ VIENNA, both run by Migros. And a Melectronics, which at the time was still called MELECTRONIC and had the same logo as the Migros television brand of the same name. After the decision was made to abandon staffed restaurants throughout Switzerland and only operate self-service restaurants, the VIENNA disappeared and at some point the MELECTRONICS also had to make way for the restaurant.
The Migros department store was located on the later 2nd and 3rd floors and was sensibly connected by a normal escalator. From the grocery store in the basement, you could take the elevator to the 3rd floor to the household department, but not to the 2nd floor, where the fashion was offered. This meant that you could move your shopping cart between the basement and the 3rd floor, but not to the 2nd floor, because the escalator was never replaced by a conveyor belt suitable for shopping carts - despite repeated conversions.
Instead of maintaining the center, GMZ allowed it to fall into disrepair. The ceiling tiles in the mall and in the WC on the 2nd floor were never replaced. With practically every renovation, the Migros range became smaller; men's fashion in particular suffered from less and less space. This was particularly noticeable when the Migros area was reduced in size because the space was to be used for a SPORTXX.
Despite all this, the Migros range was still attractive, especially because the grocery store in the basement, which was eventually renamed CITY-MÄRT, remained virtually unchanged.
And then came the radical conversion.
Since then, the grocery store has been on the 2nd floor, and you have to look for the drinks department one floor up in the non-food section. Absurd. The men's department has become even smaller and is now pushed to the entrance. In fact, it doesn't seem to happen that often that a grocery store is located on the 2nd floor. If I remember correctly, the GMZ wrote at the opening that this was unique in Europe. This is no longer the case: the ALDI in Winterthur's Archhöfe center is also located on the 2nd floor.
Perhaps sales have declined because the supermarket was placed in such an unusual location. Perhaps many people don't know that there is a Migros supermarket in the center because they assume that the Alnatura store is the only grocery store there. But maybe it's also because the whole center looks as if the architect had had a hell of a time planning it. The center looks loveless and lifeless. The abrupt changes in direction of the escalators are confusing and annoying. If you need to go to the toilet, you have to walk to the 4th floor and through the entire Migros restaurant and then up a flight of stairs. How do you get there as a wheelchair user? There are no other WC facilities in the entire center.
The center looks very unfriendly today. A lot of space has been wasted. The Migros supermarket branch is relatively attractive and spacious, but the fact that the drinks are in the non-food area is confusing. The non-food floor could be more customer-friendly.
I rarely go there anymore, even though I now have to live much closer to this branch than I did in previous years. Because: All in all, the center is not customer-friendly, not nice and certainly not inviting. In short: an absolute flop.
I also have many memories of Migros City - I saw the first TV pictures of the 9/11 attacks there. There was a screen in the middle that you could see from all around, normally used for promotions.
In my opinion, something decisive was incomparably better in the past: the clarity! Whether from the escalators, from the glass cabins of the lifts or when walking around, you could see how big the center is, bright and inviting. It was easy to find your way around and you might see something you wanted to go to spontaneously. The supermarket on one floor (right in the basement) was also practical and nearby.
Now everything looks as if today's building is the original state, as I said, like one of those interchangeable city center department stores such as Globus or Manor nearby, with crammed escalators, hidden elevator shafts, where you have to wait in front of unappealing doors for the narrow elevator, and where floor information boards still provide the best overview. Terrible and an incredible shame!
The old center should simply have been left as it was in terms of the basic plan, gently renovated and kept beautifully maintained. Now you have less (!) retail space and an extremely deteriorated layout.
Can anyone of the (external?) planners actually be held responsible? Or can new "experts" simply look forward to the next refurbishment soon, which we customers will end up paying for again?
