We might not be in Zurich right now, but our co-host on our RATIONAL webinar series, Benjamin Nothaft, has been.
We caught up with him to get his view on the concept.
Impactful and inspirational
“The concept is super impressive. Despite its central location, alongside the railway tracks and alongside Zurich’s main station, the entrance is understated, almost giving it a speakeasy feel before you go in. Once you do find it, if you go inside you’ll be rewarded by an amazing store.
Culinary diversity abounds
“What struck me was the choice on offer. Eataly, street food, food halls and several innovative European food-to-go specialists have all influenced the development of this concept, meaning that as a lunchtime destination, it stands out, despite the high levels of competition in this part of the city. Italian, Japanese and Middle Eastern each had their own focus areas within the store, while a further space was reserved for a rotating offer. On launch, this was all about Peru, with a focus on ceviche. But it will rotate during the seasons. The idea is that this will change every three months – next will be Greece, then, as winter approaches, Finland. It’s a great platform for product trial, and a great way to show newness and innovation for customers – adding excitement and getting them coming back more often. Another really nice feature was that this wasn’t just about cusine. A dedicated area alongside the food was dedicated to Peruvian products, across both food and non-food. They did this really well.
There’s a great focus on theatre
“The meat and fish counters were really nicely done. What was really eye-catching was how they cut the steaks in front of you, and you also had the chance to order a steak and have it cooked for you there and then. Some great displays across the store continued this theme – the produce area next to this is one of the best in the city.
And some great adjacencies
“Migros has invited some great partner businesses to work with them on this project, notable in areas such as beer and wine, where the range went well beyond what a typical store in Switzerland would offer. Some great speciality beers from all over Europe and beyond. There’s also a bar right next to this display giving more chance to experience the products themselves in-store. And the wine leads neatly through to the cheese section, which reminded me of the cheese display at Checkers’ new format stores in South Africa.
The concept reflects key prevailing trends very well
“I was impressed by the focus on vegan options across the store – they sat neatly alongside meat based options in many cases. There was also a nice focus on health & wellness products, with a drinks offer that included draft kobucha. Not so common in Switzerland! Also the broader sustainability focus ran through the store, with impressive recycling stations integrated in-store. I’m guessing the focus on using the same packaging for bowls across the store also helped with this.
A venue for all missions
“What struck me was how you could easily spend a lot of time here. The offer is at its strongest at lunchtime, but flows really neatly through into the evening – supported by the two bars on site. And while there’s not a full blown supermarket within the offer, most of the food focused elements of a supermarket are captured, meaning this is as much a destination for food-for-later and top up missions as it is for food-for-now. And while nothing is cheap in Switzerland, actually the pricing in-store offered fair value.