Retail in 2024: The big picture
Despite inflation rates dropping further and the economy showing signs of a recovery, retail continued to see only moderate growth in current value terms in 2024, similar to the growth seen in 2023. Consumers continued to limit their spending on non-essential items (with a few exceptions) due to financial constraints, but they also invested what money they did have in experiences more than material goods.
Retailers focus on making improvements to increase their appeal
The ongoing efforts of retailers to present customers with a seamless, valuable, targeted shopping experience continued to positively impact value sales in Switzerland. Large chain retailers such as Migros, Valora, and Coop continuously worked on evaluating, enhancing and evolving their product portfolios to cater to current trends such as health, wellness, natural products, organic/bio products, regionality, sustainability, waste-reduction, recyclability, value for money, and convenience.
Migros and Coop remain on top
Being among the innovation leaders with a strong focus on current consumer trends, Migros and Coop continued to lead retail in Switzerland in 2024 both in terms of value share and in terms of the number of outlets. The companies are well-represented across various channels offering a wide range of products and services (mainly within groceries and essentials) which ensured their ongoing success despite the challenging market conditions.
What next for retail?
With the progressive recovery of the economy and a gradual increase in disposable income, consumer spending is expected to become less conservative over the forecast period which should boost retail. Consumers are expected to be more likely to splurge on items, including non-essentials again, albeit still with a certain level of restraint due to prevailing economic uncertainty linked to factors such as the current geopolitical situation.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Retail industry in Switzerland with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Convenience Stores
- Discounters
- Hypermarkets
- Supermarkets
- Traditional Grocery Retailers
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist Retailers
- Electronics and Appliance Specialist Retailers
- Health and Beauty Specialist Retailers
- Home and Garden Specialist Retailers
- Department Stores
- Variety Stores
- Warehouse Clubs
- Direct Selling
- Homeshopping
- Vending
If you're in the Retail industry in Switzerland, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Retail in Switzerland report includes:
- Analysis of key retail trends
- Detailed segmentation of offline and online retail sales
- Historic channel sizes (retail value sales, outlet counts, and selling space)
- Company and brand market shares (retail value sales and outlet counts)
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Retail in Switzerland?
- Which are the leading retailers in Retail in Switzerland?
- How are products distributed in Retail in Switzerland?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- How significant are discounters and private label in Switzerland?
- To what extent are sales shifting towards digital channels?
- What is the long-term outlook for bricks-and-mortar?
- How is macroeconomic and political uncertainty affecting the retail industry?
- What types of retailers are seeing the fastest growth in digital sales?
- What is the future of retail?
Retail in Switzerland
Retail in 2024: The big picture
Retailers focus on making improvements to increase their appeal
Migros and Coop remain on top
What next for retail?
Informal retail
Opening hours for physical retail
Seasonality
Christmas
Easter
DISCLAIMER
Convenience Retailers in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Convenience stores benefit from accessibility and longer opening hours
Valora extends its lead as it invests in innovation and expanding its outlet network
A tough year for forecourt retailers as consumers look to cut costs
Mixed fortunes projected for convenience retailers
Valora likely to play a big role in the future of the category
Brand image likely to remain important
Supermarkets in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
A tough year for supermarkets as consumers look for savings
Coop leads thanks to large store network and strong portfolio of products
Smaller chains face strong competition from other channels
Supermarkets set to return to growth as the economy picks up
Migros and Coop likely to remain on top
E-commerce presents challenges and opportunities for supermarkets
Hypermarkets in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Hypermarkets suffer as consumers shop closer to home
Hypermarkets remain under the grip of a monopoly
Coop and Migros invest in their private label lines
Hypermarkets could stagnate due to a lack of investment
Migros expected to remain on top with significant barriers to entry
E-commerce could take some sales away from hypermarkets
Discounters in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Low prices remain a key attraction of discounters
Denner remains on top
Aldi thriving but still lags some way behind
Discounters set to remain on an upward trajectory despite improving economy
Tax changes should benefit discounters
Competition expected to intensify as the leading players continue to invest heavily in the market
Small Local Grocers in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
2024: A tough year for small local grocers
The future of Alnatura remains uncertain despite a positive year for the chain
Small local grocers facing mounting competition from other channels
A bleak outlook for small local grocers as competition grows
Challenging market for new players
Small local grocers lack the resources to compete with modern grocery retailers
General Merchandise Stores in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Contrasting fortunes for department stores and variety stores in 2024
Manor remains on top in 2024 despite a challenging year
Jelmoli prepares to exit the market
Contrasting fortunes set to continue for department stores and variety stores
Variety stores look set for a bright future thanks to flexibility and strong product offerings
E-commerce expected to present challenges and opportunities for general merchandise stores
Apparel and Footwear Specialists in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Sales decline as consumers adopt conservative shopping behaviour
Premium brands outperform mid-priced players
Low-cost Chinese players present a significant challenge to fast fashion brands
New legislation could impact Chinese players but Amazon hovers with new plan
Uncertain future for apparel and footwear specialists
Retailers starting to invest in social commerce and livestreaming
Appliances and Electronics Specialists in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Appliances and electronics specialists fail to replicate the positive performance seen in 2023
Coop dominates but Media Markt making big strides with one eye on the future
Coop consolidates its brand portfolio
A challenging period ahead for appliances and electronics specialists
New advances in technology could present opportunities for traditional retailers
Trained sales advice and an omnichannel approach could be key
Home Products Specialists in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Challenging market conditions put a dampener on sales through home improvement and gardening stores
Homewares and home furnishing stores thrive despite economic pressures
Ikea comes out on top following the opening of new outlets in 2024
Cautiously optimistic outlook for home improvement and gardening stores
Pet shops and superstores should benefit from pet humanisation trend
Homewares and home furnishing stores will need to find new ways to keep customers coming back
Health and Beauty Specialists in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Consumers show a strong willingness to invest in looking and feeling younger
Health and wellness trend shaping demand across health and beauty specialists
Galencia strengthens its lead following the expansion of its chain of pharmacies
Beauty specialists could struggle for growth as competition intensifies from other channels
Mixed outlook for health and beauty specialists
Optical goods stores should benefit from expanding and enhancing their services
Vending in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Vending sees steady growth as consumers spend more time away from the home
Selecta remains on top despite removing some of its machines
Tobacco vending and new innovations fuelling growth
Foods, drinks and tobacco will remain the lifeblood of vending
Health and wellness trend likely to have a mixed impact on the future of vending
Selecta aims to stay on top by adapting to evolving market trends
Direct Selling in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Direct selling sees mixed results in 2024
Tupperware exits the market following bankruptcy
The market for direct selling remains stable
Direct selling expected to be increasingly influenced by e-commerce and social media
New technology could present new opportunities for direct selling companies
A challenging future ahead for direct selling
Retail E-Commerce in Switzerland
KEY DATA FINDINGS
E-commerce remains on an upward trajectory although challenges remain
Shein and Temu offering strong competition to the established leaders
Electronics and pet supplies some of the big winners in e-commerce in 2024
E-commerce set to continue evolving and improving
Marketplaces set to lead with an increasing focus on new technologies
Store-based retailers expected to continue investing in their online and omnichannel strategies
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Retail
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- Convenience Stores
- Forecourt Retailers
- Supermarkets
- Hypermarkets
- Discounters
- Warehouse Clubs
- Food/Drink/Tobacco Specialists
- Small Local Grocers
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- Department Stores
- Variety Stores
- Apparel and Footwear Specialists
- Appliances and Electronics Specialists
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- Home Improvement and Gardening Stores
- Homewares and Home Furnishing Stores
- Pet Shops and Superstores
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- Beauty Specialists
- Pharmacies
- Optical Goods Stores
- Health and Personal Care Stores
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- Bags and Luggage Specialists
- Jewellery and Watch Specialists
- Sports Goods Stores
- Traditional Toys and Games Stores
- Other Non-Grocery Retailers
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- Fashion Vending
- Health and Beauty Vending
- Appliances and Electronics Vending
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- Alcoholic Drinks Vending
- Hot Drinks Vending
- Soft Drinks Vending
- Tobacco Products Vending
- Foods Vending
- Home Products Vending
- Other Products Vending
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- Apparel and Footwear Direct Selling
- Personal Accessories Direct Selling
- Eyewear Direct Selling
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- Beauty and Personal Care Direct Selling
- Consumer Health Direct Selling
- Tissue and Hygiene Direct Selling
- Appliances and Electronics Direct Selling
- Drinks and Tobacco Direct Selling
- Foods Direct Selling
- Home Products Direct Selling
- Other Products Direct Selling
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- Apparel and Footwear E-Commerce
- Personal Accessories E-Commerce
- Eyewear E-Commerce
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- Beauty and Personal Care E-Commerce
- Consumer Health E-Commerce
- Tissue and Hygiene E-Commerce
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- Consumer Appliances E-Commerce
- Consumer Electronics E-Commerce
- Toys and Games E-Commerce
- Drinks and Tobacco E-Commerce
- Foods E-Commerce
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- Home Care E-Commerce
- Home and Garden E-Commerce
- Pet Care E-Commerce
- Other Products E-Commerce
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- First-Party (1P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Third-Party (3P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Grocery E-Commerce
- General Merchandiser E-Commerce
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist E-Commerce
- Appliances and Electronics Specialist E-Commerce
- Home Products Specialist E-Commerce
- Health and Beauty Specialist E-Commerce
- Leisure and Personal Goods Specialist E-Commerce
- Other E-Commerce Retailers
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Retail
Retail is the sale of new and used goods to consumers from a business for personal or household consumption from retail outlets, kiosks, market stalls, vending, direct selling and e-commerce. Retail is the aggregation of Retail Offline and Retail E-Commerce. Excludes specialist retailers of motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle parts. Also excludes fuel sales, foodservice sales, rental transactions, and wholesale sales (e.g. Cash and Carry). Sales value excluding or including VAT/Sales Tax. Retail also excludes the informal retail sector. Informal retailing is retail trade which is not declared to the tax authorities. Informal retailing encompasses (a) sales generated by unregistered and unlicensed retailers, i.e. retailers operating illegally, and (b) any proportion of sales generated by a registered and licensed retailer that is not declared to the tax authorities. Unregistered and unlicensed retailers operate predominantly (although not exclusively) as street hawkers or operate open market stalls, as these channels are harder for the authorities to monitor than permanent outlets. Activities in the illegal market, which is usually understood to refer to trade in illegal, counterfeit or stolen merchandise, are included within our definition of informal retailing. Activities in the “grey market”, which is usually understood to refer to trade in legal merchandise that is sold through unauthorized channels – for example cigarettes bought legally in another country, legally imported, but sold at lower prices than in authorized channels – will be included as informal retailing if no tax is paid on sale by the retailer. However if the retailer pays tax – for example on cigarettes bought legally in another country but sold at a lower price than standard – the sale is included within formal retail.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
This report originates from Passport, our Retail research and analysis database.
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