When are there Alnatura supermarkets in Switzerland?

Wann gibt es in der Schweiz Alnatura Supermärkte?

Dear Migros people,

Migros has been importing part of the Alnatura range from Germany for a few years now. Unfortunately, the products are often sold at significantly higher prices in Migros stores than in Germany. But why doesn't Migros actually open Alnatura supermarkets in Switzerland and offer Alnatura organic products there at the same price as they cost in Germany? That should be possible, because the labor costs in Switzerland and Germany are about the same, if you take wages and ancillary labor costs into account. Added to this is the fact that VAT in Germany is 7 percent for most foodstuffs, whereas in Switzerland it is 2.5 percent. This means that any higher costs in Switzerland can be absorbed. For foods such as alcoholic beverages or expensive multi-fruits (oysters), customers in Germany pay 19 percent VAT. There are similar regulations in Switzerland, but the VAT rate there is 8 percent. So here too: The production costs for Migros are cheaper in Switzerland. Also, the products in Germany are already labeled in such a way that they can be used in Switzerland without new labels. For example, the information about the ingredients is in German and French.

I am convinced that the Alnatura stores in Switzerland would do just as well as in Germany. In the store in Weil am Rhein, most of the customers are from Basel. I bet that if Migros were to open an Alnatura supermarket in Basel and the prices were no higher than in Germany, people would soon be queuing outside the store, just as they did decades ago at the (then still small) Migros branches. Migros could also demonstrate its organic expertise and clearly set itself apart from the competition with the Alnatura organic stores. The only problem I see is that demand may soon become so great that there will be problems with the procurement of goods. Top, the bet is on.

Ah yes, and it's also a recipe against shopping tourism. After all, as someone who lives practically on the border, why should I pay more for the same product in Migros Basel than in the Alnatura supermarket a few minutes' drive away on the other side of the border?

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All replies (5)

Geh-heim-Dienst

Hello Gundelians

Migros Zurich has been setting up Alnatura stores ever since the introduction of Alnatura. There are already seven of them:

Zurich-Höngg
Regensdorf
Zurich-City, Löwenstrasse
Zurich-Oerlikon
Winterthur-Grüze
Bülach
Zug (EKZ Metalli)

Another branch will open in Berne next year.

The higher prices in Switzerland are probably due to higher labor costs and import fees, among other things.

Best regards
Walk-at-home service

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Gundelianer

But there are none in the Basel region, which I don't understand when I see how many people from north-western Switzerland shop in the Alnatura supermarkets across the border. And no, if you do the math correctly, labor costs are not higher in Switzerland. There are studies on this. Real estate prices are higher, but creative solutions could be found here too. A side street would do instead of a prime city center location. Migros initially relied on this concept. People who shop consciously find these stores immediately. Apart from that, an Alnatura supermarket instead of one of the countless (cheap) clothes stores would be a great marketing measure.

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Geh-heim-Dienst

Hello Gundelians

I understand that. There are several reasons for this. Setting up a branch network is not easy. You don't get a suitable store just like that.

And if you look at the Migros development in the Stücki shopping center in Basel, it should be clear why it is not necessarily a priority to open Alnatura supermarkets in this region.

Best regards
Walk-at-home service

(Machine translation)

Gundelianer

I can think of a restaurant in Basel that would be ideal, is in a good location, is owned by Migros if I'm right and is the right size. The Stücki is a bad example, as the concept was and is completely different. It's quite simple: if you haven't tried something, you don't know whether it will work or not. I suspect something completely different is the reason why there is no Alnatura store in Basel, even though the city is very much in favor of organic food: they don't want to co-curry the stores in Germany (in Weil and Grenzach).

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Glatt-Mann

Precisely because there are several shopping opportunities across the border, Migros doesn't want to do it, at least that's my guess. Aldi and Lidl don't sell at German prices in Switzerland either.

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