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Switzerland 
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Hand-filtered
news from the Swiss online mainstream and trade press designed to give you topical insight
into Swiss advertising and marketing, life and lifestyles............. 19.12.05
Asked to select the word which has most marked German-speaking Swiss society this year, a panel of advertising people and journalists has selected 'Aldisierung', says the newspaper Kurier.at. Meaning, in English, 'Aldi-isation', the word derives from the name of the German-based discount retailer of grocery goods which this year set up its first outlets in Switzerland. 'Aldisierung' was one of 2,500 suggestions considered by a 7-person jury, Kurier says, and conveys not only the message of low prices but also societal concerns such as low wage levels. In addition, the panel says, there is a trend in society away from traditional Swiss quality consciousness towards using price as the only criterion for choice. The sentence of the year, Kurier says, also has something to do with Switzerland's larger neighbour. 'Deutschland, wir kommen!' ('Germany, here we come'), the phrase selected, lays testament to people's optimism as they look forward to their national team's participation at next year's soccer World Cup. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, on the Kurier website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Aldi's gleaming new Swiss website.
12.12.05
Confectionery manufacturer Ferrero has 'torpedoed' an initiative by Swiss supermarket chain Migros to bypass standard import channels and source supplies of the company's Milchschnitten chocolate snack direct from the company itself, says the newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Direct importation of products trademarked in other countries is not allowed under Swiss law, meaning official intermediaries must be used, thus inflating the supply chain and adding cost. Migros sought to challenge this law, dealing diret and thus gaining a price advantage. While Ferrero was initially happy to comply, now it has informed Migros that 'production bottlenecks' mean it is no longer able to continue the arrangement, Neue Zürcher Zeitung says. That's strange, counters Migros, given that no other company has been told that there are difficulties with supply. Ferrero's Milchschnitten cost around 1 Swiss franc more than the same product in Germany, a gap Migros was able to partly reduce by importaing directly, despite the need to repackage the sweets in materials bearing product information in the three official languages of Switzerland. In addition to Milchschnitten, Migros has also been sourcing supplies of Philadelphia soft cheese directly from manufacturer Kraft in Germany. Unlike Ferrero, Kraft has, as yet, raised no objection. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, on the Neue Zürcher Zeitung website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Ferrero in Germany.
30.11.05
On the one hand, Swiss shoppers want cheap, discount products, on the other sales of luxury goods continue to rise. This phenomenon has caused one academic to claim that, increasingly, Switzerland is a nation of 'smart' consumers. Torsten Tomczak, professor of marketing at the University of St. Gallen, says that, while buying their wine at low prices from the supermarket chain Denner, well-off people are not willing to give up their high-priced watches. For David Bosshart, director at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, which monitors consumer trends, this presents retailers with a new kind og challenge. Migros and Coop, Switzerland's two largest retailers, have reacted by introducing low-priced 'value' lines and upscale premium own brands ('Premium Labels Selection' in the instance of Migros and 'Fine Food' at rival Coop). Bosshart points to Tesco in the UK as a key reference and stresses the importance of its 'positively classless' approach in bringing about the supermarket chain's success. Ad agency Advico Young & Rubicam agrees, says the advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich, that cheap on its own is not enough. Among brands growing in sales are Migros' reasonably-priced 'M-Label' brand, but more expensive 'fair trade' goods sold by Max Havelaar are also seeing increasing sales. In sectors other than grocery, Persoenlich says, one of the most high-profile adjustments to the trend is that undertaken by H&M, which has signed a series of top-of-the-range designers to produce limited runs of mid-priced fashion, with tremendous success. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, on the Persoenlich website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute.
22.11.05
Over 400,000 Swiss consumers drink an energy drink at least once a week, says the newspaper Basler Zeitung, and consumption has risen steadily during recent years. The newspaper bases its report on figures taken from a survey conducted by Wemf as part of its MACH Consumer 2005 study. While the volume of drinks has risen, however, the number of those drinking them has remained stable, at 1.8 million. Two-thirds of the Swiss population never consume energy drinks. Regular users are most likely to be aged betwen 14 and 29 years old, the researchers say. In addition to drinks such as Red Bull, they also tend to favour alcopops, whisky and spirits, while having little interest in organic food or gourmet eating. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, on the Basler Zeitung website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the website operated by energy drink brand Red Bull for the Swiss market.
09.05.05
Max Havelaar, the Swiss-based foundation whose business is the marketing of goods sourced on a 'fair trade' basis, is to introduce a clothing line, says the news source Swissinfo. Known up until now for grocery goods such as coffee and bananas, sourced on a basis which is fair to all participants in the value chain - most notably third-world producers - the foundation hopes it can now repeat its success in the world of T-shirts, baby and bath clothing, towels and other cotton goods, Swissinfo says. The clothes and textiles will be widely available in leading retail chains such as Migros, Manor and Switcher, Max Havelaar announced last week. The project has received extra impulse due to the fact that over-production has led to falling prices on international cotton markets, meaning that the price paid to farmers has fallen to levels where it is difficult for them to produce profitably. 500 farmers living in Mali, Senegal, India and Pakistan will supply the raw materials at a guaranteed price. The terms of the contract mean that the Havelaar products will retail at between 10 and 30% more than comparable garments, but that may be a price the Swiss are prepared to pay to purchase ethically-sound goods. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in German, on the Swissinfo website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to go to the Max Havelaar website.
03.05.05
Switzerland's wine makers have launched a fierce criticism of the government's current campaign to encourage people not to drive with too much alcohol in their blood, writes the advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich. The campaign, in place since the beginning of the year, consists of around 11,500 outdoor posters showing a photo of a glass of alcoholic drink and stating that 0.5 milligrams, the limit for driving, is equivalent to the amount contained in the glass shown.
According to the wine trade association, SBW, the campaign, backed jointly by the ministry for health and the country's accident prevention agency is publishing a false claim, rendering its advertising against the law. The comparison, it says, is too simplistic but the effect is to severely affect SBW members. "The campaign's claim is demonstrably false", spokesman Jürg Bussmann tells Persoenlich. Though recognising that campaigns against the misuse of alcohol can otherwise be advantageous, the campaign's backers have taken a completely new and unacceptable approach, he believes. His concerns are real, given that wine sales have fallen in Switzerland by between 20 and 25 per cent since the campaign started. The health ministry, on the other hand, has given a surprised response, refusing to comment publicly until it has examined the complaint in full. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in German, on the Persoenlich website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) if you'd like to read more about the campaign, in English, on the excellent Swissinfo website, a state service operated for expatriate Swiss whose funding the government is currently looking to cut.
25.04.05
Swiss retailers have been bracing themselves for some time for an 'invasion' by their German neighbours Aldi and Lidl. Now analysis by the newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) shows just how intensive the first 'wave' looks likely to be. The Swiss retail landscape is not characterised by fierce competition, particularly, on price, with Migros and Coop more or less dominating the scene. The arrival of Aldi and Lidl, however, with their fiercely low prices, has been expected to shake matters up. The first outlets are expected to open at the beginning of next year, with NZZ's analysis putting a figure on just how many stores that will involve, for the first time. Basing itself on information available to the public, Aldi, it says, has already secured planning permission - or is close to doing so - for 48 stores, Lidl for 50. Delegates at the Swiss Marketing Forum, it continues, heard this week that Aldi is in it for the long haul, prepared to invest for fully 10 to 15 years before releasing official sales figures. Company spokesman Sven Bradke confirmed to the Forum that the first shops would stock around 700 food and 'near food' items, deciding later whether to include special one-week offers, e.g. of bicycles, in its assortment. Floorspace will range between 900 and 1,500 square metres. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in German, at the NZZ website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Aldi's Swiss website which - with or without planning permission - is already up and running.
18.04.05
The siting of shops in railway stations is nothing new. But replacing ticket offices with supermarkets, that's different. Over the years, says the newspaper Le Matin, the number of rural railway stations with ticket offices has dwindled, as the cost of maintaining the facilities and paying the staff could not be justified by the low numbers of travellers. Realising the trend and the fact, also, that in many small Swiss towns, no shops are open in the evening, Migros, the country's leading supermarket chain, and the distribution group Valora, came up with the idea of turning ticket hall sites into small, extended hours supermarkets. Operated under the name Avec ('with', in French, and which operates using the slogan 'little big shopping') and which currently numbers around 25 stores in German-speaking Switzerland, plus two in the French-speaking region, their number is set to increase to 137 by the year 2007, Le Matin says. Not only can customers buy their milk, sugar and other groceries at the stores, they can also buy the ticket they need for their travel. Products stocked include mainstream brands plus the Migros 'M' own label brand, sold at the same price as in a standard-sized store. The outlets are open seven days a week from 6am to 7pm. Avec was first introduced, Le Matin says, in the year 2000. The Migros corporate identity is not displayed prominently at the sites. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story at the Le Matin website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Avec.
11.04.05
The Swiss parliament has come good on its promise to bring order to the way authorities in the country present their face to the public, writes the information site Swissinfo, by introducing a common logo across all official departments. The single image - based, unsurprisingly, on a white cross against a red background - is designed to emphasise that each service represents a single part of a greater whole, while allowing for cost savings. The cost of the logo change is put at around SFr. 25 million, a one-off charge which the authorities expect to recoup through an estimated Sfr. 7 million in annual savings deriving from reduced printing and design costs. At the same time, Swissinfo says, parliament has decided to do away with English-sounding department names such as 'fedpol' for the Federal Police and 'Swissmint' for... well, the Swiss mint, replacing them with French, German equivalents, to better portray the country's cultural make-up. To read a longer version of this story for yourself, in English, click on the link below (left) to visit Swissinfo, where you can also view a selection of the logos which are set to be replaced. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the official site of the Swiss federal authorities, where you can appreciate the new design.
04.04.05
Sales of watches are being seriously hit by the success of mobile phones, says the online news agency nu.nl and of more importance to Switzerland than any other European country. Young people, in particular, nu.nl says, are less interested in traditional watches and prefer to spend their time accessing functions on their mobile phone. The news was announced at the international watch and jewellery fair in Basel on Friday. In general, watch sales are falling, although those of more expensive models appear to be holding firm, at least in export markets. In January and February, sales of cheaper wristpieces are said to have fallen by 25% to 1.22 million. Demand for quality Swiss products, says Francois Thiébaud, head of Tissot, remains strong in Asian markets, in particular China, with demand for imported watches rising by more than 50% during the first two months of 2005 compared to the same period the previous year. Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, on the nu.nl website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the Tissot site... feeling rich?
29.03.05
Six months after it inaugurated a new, SFr. 250 million factory designed to serve as an international centre of expertise for all things coffee-related, Nestlé is still involved in a dispute with state-run broadcasting companies in the French-speaking, Swiss region of Vaud, writes the newspaper Le Matin. The row arose when no TV or radio journalists from public-service channels turned up to cover the official opening of the Orbe site, despite its potential importance for the local economy, including the fact that it is to create 80 jobs. Although no official confirmation has been issued, Nestlé firmly believes that the opening was not covered as it was deemed too 'commercial' a story. Supporters of Nestlé in the dispute point out that this is inconsistent with the same broadcasters' attitude when it comes, for example, to reporting the company's difficulties in France where the future of its Perrier mineral water division continues to be news. Nestlé head Peter Brabeck is reported to be in continued discussion with heads of the stations in question over the matter, Le Matin says. Presumably, over a cup of Nescafé. Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in French, on the Le Matin website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to go to Nestlé's Swiss website and read the company's official press release, drafted to announce the opening of the new factory.
22.03.05
Sales of organic goods once more grew in Switzerland last year, says the newspaper Basler Zeitung, but the days when people were beginning to talk of a 'boom' seem to be past. 2.2% more organic products were sold during the year, with markte size reaching SFr. 1.19 billion, Basler Zeitung says, or approximately SFr. 160 per person. 6,420 Swiss farmers currently operate along guidelines laid down by Bio Suisse, 11.2% of the total number in the country and accounting for 10.5% of all farmed land. Dairy products, eggs and vegetables are the top sellers, while sales of organic milk and bread appear to have stabilised 'at a high level'. Among those items gaining most in sales during 2004 in percentage terms were fish, regional and convenience products. Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in German, on the Basler Zeitung website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the Bio Suisse website, available in a number of languages.
14.03.05
Management at the German airline Lufthansa and its smaller neighbour, Swiss, have confirmed that the latter will retain its name if, as seems likely, Lufthansa's takeover of the company gets the go-ahead. Swiss began its short life only three years ago and has required investment of several billion Francs, only to build itself into a loss-making mess and thus continuing the recent poor history of air travel companies in Switzerland, following the collapse of the national flag carrier Swissair. It gained the right to use the Swiss name after beating off legal challenges that it was too generic. Clearly, one might ask what sense branding has when something so clearly positioned as Swiss is set to become so clearly German. Might Orange launch a rebranding exercise based around the colour red? Discuss. Click on the link below (left) to read more coverage of this story for yourself on the Swiss information site Swissinfo, in English. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the current Swiss website.
11.11.04
Switzerland's retail scene may have been something of a 'closed shop' (that is, a protected environment) for local chains such as Migros and Coop, says the newspaper Le Matin, but the arrival of the German discount chain Aldi is causing real unease in the country. Aldi, Le Matin says, is planning 40 stores in the French-speaking region of Switzerland alone - the first of which at Collombey. On Monday, the company received approval to construct its distribution centre at Domdidier. All Aldi outlets, Le Matin says, are expected to consist of 900 square meters of floorspace, with 135 parking places for each store. The company's advance is even stronger in German-speaking regions of the country, where the first Swiss Alsi outlet is expected to open, in Berne. "We are not worried about competition from our own stores in Germany", a spokesman tells the paper, "because we have adapted our offering to Swiss tastes". That, the newspaper says, means more cheese and less sausages. Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in French, on the Le Matin website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the website already established by Aldi for Switzerland but which bizarrely (worryingly?) is currently available only in German.
25.10.04
Migros has unveiled its answer to the highly-successful in-home coffee preparation system marketed by Nestlé under the name 'Nespresso', writes the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger. First announced on this page in September, the new system is to be branded 'Delizio' and has, Tagesanzeiger says, been designed by the same man originally responsible for dreaming up Nespresso. 57 year-old Eric Favre, who runs a small company in the 600-inhabitant village of Saint Barthélemy, was 28 when he first entered service at Nestlé and his idea for a domestic coffee machine using capsules was first patented in 1978. Nestlé didn't realise the potential of Nespresso until seven years later, when it set up a division, headed by Favre, to manufacture and market the machines. Now Favre is set to make life difficult for his former employer, Tagesanzeiger says, with the launch of Delizio, a device using similar technology but able to serve tea in addition to coffee. The idea was developed after Favre left Nestlé and was licensed to the Italian maker of espresso machines, Gaggia, for all markets outside Switzerland. In contrast to Nespresso, which uses aluminium capsules, Delizio uses plastic ones which can simply be thrown away with the rest of the domestic waste. Migros hopes Delizio will help it to boost its share of the Swiss coffee market - already in the region of 50% - even further. An initial price of SFr. 298 has been set, although with Christmas on the horizon, special offers are to be expected over the coming months. Click on the link below (left) to visit the Tagesanzeiger website, where you can read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in German. Click on the link below (right) to visit the dedicated Nespresso website where you can compare the virtues of the 'original' to its more recent rival.
23.10.04
Drinking to quench your thirst and eating to satisfy your hunger - basic activities, says the Swiss advertising magazine Persoenlich, but ones that it seems beer company Kronenbourg's Swiss division is no longer enough. To turn its drinkers' experience into something that little bit more stylish, Kronenbourg has commissioned the "1664 Kollektion" from top designer Philippe Starck and is billing the initiative as "eine neue Art, Bier zu trinken" ("a new way of drinking beer"). Starck's 'collection' for the brand includes a new beer glass, can and bottle for the 1664 line. According to a press release issued by Kronenbourg, they "project sober, refined tastefulness, an elegance that does not merely limit itself to the aesthetics of the receptacles themselves. beer dinking, the act of raising the glass to ones mouth is rendered 'sublime'". Well, cheers! Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in German, on the website of Persoenlich, and to see the glass designed for Kronebourg by Philippe Starck. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Kronenbourg's own website.
20.10.04
Schweiz Tourismus, the body charged with promoting tourism to Switzerland, is to step up its efforts to attract gay visitors to the country, says the Swiss advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich. Around Sfr. 320,000 will be invested next year in a campaign aimed specifically at this target group. Urs Eberhard, head of European markets at the tourist body, tells the magazine that he is looking to encourage an additional 50,000 tourist overnight stays per year, thus generating revenues in the region of Sfr. 12 million. The amount invested represents an increase on this year's campaign when twelve partner entities - including the cities Geneva, Berne and Lausanne, the Swiss railway service SBB and Postbus) joined with Schweiz Tourismus to produce brochures aimed at gay tourists in the UK and USA using the slogan: "It's only natural". Eberhard hopes to attract at least ten partners for next year's push, in which the same markets will be targeted. Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in German, on the website of Persoenlich. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the site designed for and maintained by Schweiz Tourismus for visitors to the country - 'My Switzerland'.
11.10.04
Despite the existence of demand, says the Swiss trade weekly Handelszeitung, Switzerland is currently a desert for those in search of a bottle of Mecca Cola - the Islamically-correct version of Coca Cola first marketed in France and now sold worldwide. Mecca Cola first entered Switzerland in February 2003 but its then licence holder, Swinti Netmarketing, gave up its rights to distribute the drink later the same year counting losses as high as six figures in Swiss francs. Business partners, the company says, were too unreliable to be able to introduce Mecca Cola into the retail trade. "Big wholesalers showed little interest", it says. Mecca Cola's owners claim that 20% of the sale price of the drink is channeled into humanitarian projects, half of them in Palestine. A spokesman for Swinti, however, says that there is little transparency about actual projects and that makes it difficult to use this as a selling point in Switzerland. Click on the link below (left) to read the rest of this story for yourself, in German, in the pages of Handelszeitung. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Mecca Cola's website.
05.10.04
Peter Looser, owner of Star Trade, may be making a lot of chocolate lovers happy as far afield as Europe, the US and Japan, but he's definitely not flavour of the month with those in charge of protecting the trademark rights of the Swiss army, writes the local trade magazine Handelszeitung. The design of Looser's 'Swiss Army' chocolate is modelled closely on that of the chocolate issued to Swiss soldiers and, therefore - in a country in which national service remains mandatory - familiar to everyone. The 50-gramme bars of dark chocolate are wrapped in silver paper and differ only in that they contain guarana and cornflake fragments, Handelszeitung says. Evidently a sales success, Looser is aiming for revenues of SFr. 1 million by next year. Not, in the scheme of things, a massive amount, but enough to capture the attention of Armasuisse, the body responsible for ensuring that the 'Swiss Army' brand is correctly applied, under licence, to those products which have received official approval.
Click on the link below (left) to read the rest of this story for yourself, in German, in the pages of Handelszeitung. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to read a longer, English-language version, prepared by From Europe With Love, or here to visit the site of Star Trade, maker of 'Swiss Army' chocolate.
05.10.04
LeShop, the Swiss home grocery shopping venture that is now part-owned by Migros, the country's leading retailer, should be reporting a profit by the year 2006, says the local advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich. Leader in its sector, LeShop (click here to see an earlier feature on this page describing how it operates) increased sales in the first 9 months of 2004 by 46% to SFr. 23.3 million, Persoenlich says - a growth double that for which the company had budgeted. In a press release issued by LeShop this week, it said it expects to be trading profitably by 2006. The company has extended the number of Migros-brand products available by 600 to 2,300, Persoenlich reports, of a total 6,200 items available. 1,300 new households are trying the online service each month and the 14,000 orders received during September constitutes a record. Average order value increased over the 9-month period from SFr. 190 to SFr. 196. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, in the pages of Persoenlich. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to get shopping at LeShop.
30.09.04
A study from AC Nielsen released this week shows that the Swiss retail market for sugar confectionery (excluding fruit chews and breath freshener) is currently worth 119.7 million Swiss francs, says the local advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich. The figures, which relate to the period September 2003 to August 2004, show a value growth of SFr. 1.6 million compared to the same period one year earlier. Tinned sweets are favourites, Nielsen says,a ccounting for over 50% of the market. Boxed sweets come next, at 30%. Natural sugar remains preferred to artificial sweeteners but not by much, the researchers say, with 54% of sales being of the traditional variety. In terms of flavour, sweets containing herbs are by far the most preferred. Click on the link below (left) to read the rest of this story for yourself, in German, in the pages of Persoenlich. Alternatively, to visit the website of AC Nielsen in Switzerland, which is written in German, click on the link below (right).
24.09.04
Switzerland's various public bodies are to adopt a single logo to reduce the amount of visual clutter that exists at administrative level, writes the news information source Swissinfo. Swiss public administration, Swissinfo says, is made up of more than 80 different offices and departments. In recent years, just about every one of these had introduced its own logotype and developed a distinctive public face. The result has been a flood of designs, each with its own implementation costs - much to the delight, no doubt, of local branding consultancies and graphic designers. Now, however, it is proposed that a single design should be applied across all the different departments, effective January 2005. A 100-page manual, Swissinfo says, has been produced to police the process which - predictably - will involve the replacement of all existing with a white cross shown against a red background. Alongside this, the words Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft will appear (or its equivalent in one of the country's three other official languages.
Up until now, any number of variations of the national flag have been used, Swissinfo says: the weather department, for example, combines the cross with a cloud symbol. Others avoid its use altogether and have opted for designs like those shown above: like the culture department, for example, which opted for a white 'C' on a black background. Out, too, will go linguistic inconsistencies. The confederation's money, for example, will no longer be described as 'swissmint' - not least, according to Swissinfor, to tremove any confusion that reference is being made to a type of sweet. Similarly, the country's topographical agency will no longer be known as 'Swisstopo', the word 'topo' meaning 'mouse' in Italian, which is spoken by a proportion of the country's population. Click on the link below (left) to read the rest of this story for yourself, in German, in the pages of Swissinfo. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to go to read a fuller, English-language version, prepared by From Europe With Love.
14.09.04
Swiss, the private airline launched in Switzerland amid the tears and acrimony that followed the demise of the national airline, Swissair, has quietly dropped the claim it has been using in its advertising, writes the local advertising magazine Persoenlich. "Destination Excellence", the magazine says, has been quietly dropped, according to an internal memo leaked to one of the local newspapers this week. According to the memo, the slogan will no longer be used in external communications because: "it no longer matches the attractive, low-price offers that characterise the European market." Since Swiss reacted to the growing low-cost competition, in autumn 2003, by introducing new service levels, the phrase "Destination Excellence" has looked increasingly out of place. The news was confirmed locally by company spokesman Jean-Claude Donzel, who told the newspaper Tagesanzeiger that: "We don't need the motto any more. It was too diluted." What he doesn't say is that it has also become too associated with the rounds of job cuts which have taken place at Swiss in recent months. No replacement slogan has yet been chosen. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in German, in the pages of Persoenlich. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to go to the website of Swiss where, as you'll notice, there's no mention of going anywhere near a place called 'Excellence'.
08.09.04
Migros, the leading Swiss retailer famous for its policy of only stocking brands which sell under its own name, is preparing the launch of an 'own label' coffee machine to compete with Nestlé's Nespresso, writes the local advertising and marketing magazine Persoenlich. Prompted by the international success of Nespresso, Migros plans to have its own system on shelves in time for the Christmas season, Persoenlich says, although the company refuses to be too specific about its plans. It can be predicted, however, that the new machine will offer a significant price advantage compared to its branded rival. Migros only recently relaxed its policy on stocking major brands, introducing products marketed by companies such as Kellogg onto its shelves and considering the idea of working with Coca Cola. Click on the link below (left) to visit the Persoenlich website, where you can read this story for yourself, in German. Click on the link below (right) to read a longer article, in English and prepared by From Europe With Love, about Migros' branding strategy and approach to dealing with major suppliers.
Aldi, the German-based discount retailer, has received planning permission to build its first store in Switzerland, writes the local newspaper 20 Minutes. The site, at Weinfelden, is the first of six applications made by the retailer in Switzerland and is expected to have a floorspace of 860 square metres, 20 Minutes says. Swiss retailers are watching Aldi's advance with interest, given that the home market has long been dominated by retailers such as Migros and Coop who, although competitive with each other, have largely had the nation's shoppers to themselves. The arrival of Aldi in Switzerland should "shake up the market", Eva-Maria Bauder, a spokeswoman for local chain Denner, tells another newspaper, Le Matin, while Migros defends itself, saying that the newcomer will not be able to slash prices in Switzerland as it has done abroad while Swiss clients, says rival Coop, expect a certain standard of service, referring to Aldi's 'minimalist' concept. Founded in 1913 by the Albrecht brothers, now Germany's most wealthy men, Aldi attracts three out of every four German shoppers through its doors. Since 1960, the business has been split into two divisions, covering southern and northern Germany. Not only does it meet a basic economic need, but shopping at Aldi is now even considered 'chic' by some sectors of the population. The company keeps its prices down thanks to a highly-efficient logistics chain, range standardisation and minimal presentation, with clients often expected to unwrap products themselves, Le Matin says. Click on the link below (left) to visit the 20 Minutes website, where you can read elements of this article for yourself, in French. Click on the link below (right) to visit Aldi's international website, here to read the Le Matin article on this development, again in French, or here to read an earlier story on this page, from June this year, talking about the Swiss retail scene and the likely repercussions of incomoing competition from the likes of Aldi and Lidl.
03.09.04
Around 40% of the Swiss population is overweight, according to a report carried in the newspaper Der Bund, and the proportion is on the rise. Switzerland's national health authority, the Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG), estimates the economic consequences of obesity and overweightedness amount to SFr. 2.7 billion per year, or around SFr. 370 per inhabitant. These costs arise, Der Bund says, through the subsequent need to treat illnesses such as diabetes, heart attacks and some forms of cancer. According to BAG head, Thomas Zeltner, the issue constitutes "a burden for the healthcare system that's coming up on us like a time bomb". Click on the link below (left) to visit the website of Der Bund, where you can read this article for yourself, in German. Click on the link below (right) to visit the website of the BAG or, alternatively, here to read a fuller, English-language version of this story, carried by the Zurich newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung..
23.08.04
Switzerland's farmers probably sell a lot of products to companies like Unilever and Nestlé. But right now, they're distinctly unhappy with them, writes the Swiss online newsletter Schweizer Bauer. The reason for their discontent? Both companies, says SMP, the umbrella organisation for Swiss milk producers, are currently running advertising for brands they own which is misleading. SNP's complaint against Rama, a margarine brand popular in many European countries, stems from the fact that the name of the product, which is based on sunflower oil, suggest it is made with cream (in German, 'Rahm' means cream). As for Nestlé, Swiss farmers believe the company should not be able to describe its 'Sunny' brand as a yogurt, because it doesn't contain a drop of full-bodied milk. In addition to advertising conventions, the farmers are using Swiss food law to support their complaint. Unilever and Nestlé are being asked to change the name of their products. Understandably, not least given the promotional expenditure involved in any change, both are resistant to the call. Unilever, Schweizer Bauer says, will officially be informed of the complaint laid against it in September. Nestlé is said to have already received details in July, to which it prepared a response defending its 'Sunny' product as consisting of 79% skimmed milk and just 1.8% vegetable fats. Swiss food law, on the other hand, lays down that yogurt has to consist of 70% milk. Click on the link below (left) to visit the Schweizer Bauer website, where you can read this article for yourself, in German. Click on the link below (right) to visit the rather attractive homepage of Swiss Milk, the official external face of Switzerland's milk producers and the SMP.
24.08.04
Bluewin, a division of the Swiss telecoms company Swisscom, is to startits long-heralded service in September allowing subscribers to view television over their telephone line, writes the newspaper Basler Zeitung. The service has been developed in conjunctio with Microsoft, the paper says, and will initially entail making a 'bouquet' of 25 channels available to a total of 600 households. An additional 5 pay-TV stations also form part of the offer, as does the opportunity to rent videos. The system, Basler Zeitung says, comes with a built-in video recorder which also allows viewers to hit the 'pause' button during live broadcasts. The initial test phase will last around 4 months, with full market launch planned for early 2005. Bluewin is touting the service as a fully-integrated telephone, internet and TV package based on ADSL. There are currently around 700,000 ADSL subscribers in Switzerland. Customers will be able to select what channels they want and pay only for the srviecs they receive. Participants in the trial stage will pay SFr. 14.90 per month, says Basler Zeitung, for a standard package and SFr. 21.90 for the full 21 channel offer, plus the four public stations. Click on the link below (left) to visit the Basler Zeitung website, where you can read this article for yourself, in German. Click on the link below (right) to visit the website of Bluewin or here to go directly to the page where the company announces its service (in German) to an expectant world.
24.08.04
An often-asked question, perhaps, but one that has arisen again recently in Switzerland where public opinion has been stirred by a poster for the radio station Energy Zurich, showing a female DJ using her nipple as a record needle. The rather bizarre poster (you can use the link at the bottom of this story to see it, along with the original article) has caused an uproar similar to that which occurred when Janet Jackson aired her nipple at this year's Superbowl, says the advertising magazine Persoenlich, although on a smaller scale - understandable, given that this is Switzerland - and with a different result, if the results of a poll run by the newspaper 20 Minuten are to be believed. 20 Minuten asked its readers to judge whether the poster, produced by Euro RSCG Zurich, qualified as art or cheap pornography. The result? 73% of those answering the paper's question considered the poster as art (leaving, you can probably work out, 27% of those responding to the survey with the opposite opinion. Could it be, Persoenlich asks, that Euro RSCG's work is heading for the museum? Click on the link below (left) to visit the Persoenlich website, where you can read this article for yourself, in German and, of course, see the poster for yourself. Click on the link below (right) to visit the website of Radio Energy, where the poster isn't much in evidence but plenty of energy is, or here to go to the page that allows you to listen to the station's programming live (and which should open automatically, using Windows Media Player or similar).
24.08.04
On the one hand, says the Swiss information site - predictably but accurately named 'swissinfo' - people are waiting expectantly for the benefits that will come from the new, so-called '3G' (3rd-generation) telephone services. On the other hand, every new antenna seems to cause a local storm of protest. The act of putting up resistance, Swissinfo says, is costing residents thousands of francs, in most cases without success as a wave of UMTS services rolls out across Switzerland and Europe. According to experts, the new services will allow new horizons to be reached by allowing large amounts of images, music and video to be packaged and transmitted, even over the internet. Billions have been invested by telecoms operators to secure the necessary operating licences. But with the new possibilities come new conditions. In Switzerland alone, Swissinfor says, around 1,000 UMTS transmission stations havebeen installed by the three local license holders: Swisscom, Sunrise and Orange. A further 2,000 to 3,000 are expected to appear over coming months. Previous introductions, such as that of GSM technology, have already been the cause of lively protest, but this time the resistance is expected to be even greater. "Practically every every new antenna comes up against opposition. People have become much more sensitive", says Swisscom spokesman Christian Neuhaus, "in regard of electromagnetic pollution". Click on the link below (left) to read the rest of this article for yourself, in German, on the Swissinfo website. Click on the link below (right) to visit the Swisscom website where you can read more - in English - about the company's UMTS activities and more.
13.08.04
From Monday, a new mobile phone will be available through all Orange outlets and almost 1,000 offices operated by La Poste, the Swiss postal service, aimed specifically at older buyers, says the newspaper Le Matin. The model in question is manufactured by Mobi-Click, a Swiss-based company which originally launched the phone in October 2003 at the ITU Telecom World event. Its design incorporates the recognition that older users (or, as it turns out, non-users) can be put off by designs that are too sophisticated or that have too many functions. The model marketed by Orange has just three buttons: red, green and blue. All the buyer has to do is choose what three numbers they would like those buttons to connect with and the handset can then be preconfigured in the shop, thus freeing them of the need to ever input a number. Any of these presets can be altered at any time by contacting a call centre, Le Matin says. Because it's a question of being contacted, as much as calling out, the handset comes with an extended battery life of up to 200 hours on stand-by, or 160 minutes of call time. Cost of the phone, says the paper, will be SFr. 99, plus a monthly fee of SFr. 19.99, with a talk credit of SFr. 10. Click on the link below (left) to visit the Le Matin website, where you can read this article for yourself, in French. Click on the link below (right) to visit the website of the handset's manufacturer, Mobi-Click, and read about its other advantages, in English .
13.08.04
Spending on advertising in Swiss media rose marginally during the first 6 months of 2004, writes the newspaper Basler Zeitung. Performing strongest during the period was TV, the paper says, although space booked in newspapers actually fell. Overall, expenditure rose by 0.9% to SFr. 1.85bn, according to figures released by the auditors, Media Focus, at a press conference on Friday. This is the first time that expenditure has risen over a 6-month period for the past 3 years, it says. TV stations booked 14.7% more space than during the same period the previous year, for a total of SFr. 390 million. Daily newspapers, however, saw spending fall by 2.8% to SFr. 715 million. Since the first 6 months of the year 2000, Media Focus says, the newspaper sector has seen an outflow of SFr. 150 million in advertising revenues. Magazines remained essetntially steady, while the remaining advertising media (outdoor, radio, cinema, teletext and internet) saw their revenues fall by a collective 4.7% to SFr. 306 million. The leading spenders on advertising in Switzerland are retailers, Media Focus says, with the leader being Migros, which spent SFr. 122 million between January and June 2004, an increase of 12.4% compared to the same 6 months in 2003. Coop decreased its spending by 4.9% to SFr. 112.5 million, but retained its second spot. Both easily outdistanced third-placed AMG, which spent SFr. 32 million during the period, Media Focus says. Click on the link below (left) to visit the Basler Zeitung website, where you can read this article for yourself, in German. Click on the link below (right) to visit the Media Focus website (which, at the time of writing is, unfortunately, 'under construction', but at least they give you the contact details if you'd like to find out more about this story.
13.08.04
Young people in Switzerland drink more alcohol and smoke more drugs than those in other European countries. Well, either that or they're more honest about their habits, the results of a recent continent-wide survey show. According to the ESPAD study, although 15 year-olds cannot officially buy alcohol, 80% admit to having consumed some in the past month. The proportion has increased strongly in recent years, the Swiss health ministry says, pointing out the health risks and that Switzerland compares unfavourably in this respect. Not only do Swiss youth drink more, they are more likely to consume cannabis, the researchers found. Around half of 16 year-olds spoken to had smoked it at least once, with the figure among 13 year-olds reported to be as high as 20%. The ESPAD study reflects the responses of 7,000 young people in Switzerland aged between 13 and 16 years old, says the newspaper 20 Minuten, where we read this story. Full publication of its results, enabling full comparison with other European countries, will be made in the coming months. Click on the link below (left) to visit the 20 Minuten website, where you can read a longer version of this article, in German. Click on the link below (right) to visit the ESPAD website. This is the first year this study has been conducted in Switzerland but the third year it has been conducted in Europe, so you should be able to read some results from earlier rounds, from other countries.
07.08.04
Brazil, it appears, is in fashion. At least, it seems, in Switzerland. The name given by the clothing chain H&M to one of its summer 2004 collections - '100% Brazil' - sums it up, says the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures. While H&M's range is available internationally, the Brazilian theme seems to be working especially well in Switzerland, 24 Heures says. And it's not just H&M which is driving the trend. Belts, t-shirts, bags, beachwear... just about everything is available in green and yellow, from a variety of sources. Walk through just about any Swiss town and you can't help but notice, says 24 Heures. It's simply impossible not to come across at least one person 'dressed Brazilian'. The trend was already evident last year, 24 Heures says, with the introduction of Havaianas tongs, made in Brazil. This year, sales have been even stronger, supported by widespread promotion. "It's by far our top-selling item", say staff at the Pompes Funèbres store in Lausanne. Who's buying? "Women between 14 and 30 years old", say H&M, though adding that they're perfectly happy if people outside that age range want to buy the clothes. And indeed, visit any of their stores and it becomes evident that men are just as much the target as women, especially when it comes to Brazilian-style sportswear. What's behind this enthusiasm for all things Brazilian, 24 Heures asks. Well, football, of course, has something to do with it. But it can't fully explain the phenomenon. According to Sandra Moscatelli-Steiner, of the Institute of Anthropology and Sociology at Lausanne UIniversity, many young people identify with a country like Brazil because it is "far enough away from Europe to be perceived as exotic, yet not so close as to be considered a threat to the local identity". It is also, she believes, felt to be a 'politically-correct' choice. "Its President, Lula, represents a national hope in social trems", she adds. Above all, 24 Heures says, in popular consciousness, Brazil is the country people associate with the notion of partying, music, beaches and a relaxed lifestyle. And that pleases the few Brazilians to be found on Swiss soil. Says Soledade de Paula, spoken to by the newspaper: "For once, people are seeing the good side of my country. It's not just about poverty. That's a real honour!" Click on the link below (left) to visit the 24 Heures website, where you can read a longer version of this article, in French. Click on the link below (right) to enjoy H&M's multimedia version of '100% Brazil', on the company's official website (Swiss/French version).
06.08.04
Swiss consumers risk paying a tax on every plastic bottle of soft drink or water they buy if the recycling rate doesn't improve, writes the newspaper Der Bund. Should the rate not reach 75% this year, warns the industry body PET Recycling Schweiz in a new campaign, a levy will be placed on the sale of each bottle, as dictated by packaging regulations introduced in 2002. Last year, it says, a recycling rate of 71% was achieved, 1% lower than the previous year. Consumers are least likely to recycle 33cl and 50cl bottles, PET Recycling says, leading to a shortfall in volume last year of 1,840 tonnes Around 1.2 billion plastic bottles are sold annually in Switzerland and, if the tax is invoked, the SFr. 120 million cost of recycling them will fall to consumers. PET's campaign includes posters specifically encouraging office workers to recycle their drinks bottles, Der Bund says. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of the original article, in German, on the website of Der Bund. Click on the link below (right) to visit the website of PET Recycling Schweiz, which currently features the campaign as the main item on its home page.
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