“Battle of the boycott, round two!”

The wide range of non-food products available in the new Migros Markets provoked harsh criticism and a series of boycotts. To save his stocking suppliers from bankruptcy, Gottlieb Duttweiler denounced the competition’s «scare tactics» and called on his customers for solidarity.

When the Swiss market is swamped with cheap American nylon stockings in 1952, the supplies of the stocking manufacturer Alfred Ruckstuhl in Wil start to pile up. He manages to win Migros as a customer, but that subsequently just makes his problems worse. Although his stockings are sold in Migros without his brand name Royal, his other customers – including Volg, Usego and the consumer association – find out and break off all business relationships with him. Ruckstuhl then desperately asks Gottlieb Duttweiler for help; otherwise he will have to dismiss a large number of staff.
Other Migros suppliers have also been boycotted, and the expansion of the range in the new Migros Markets is a source of much criticism and bad blood. Thus, Duttweiler recognises that he can set an example with the help of the stocking manufacturer. Using the Royal stockings as an example, he denounces the general boycott movement, presents himself as the saviour of a local company and reassures his uncertain suppliers. He is also sure of the sympathy of the customers, as he offers them high-quality Swiss-made stockings.

In his negotiations with the stocking manufacturer, Gottlieb Duttweiler succeeds in reducing the price from CHF6.90 to CHF3.90. He also asks the managers of the regional cooperatives to urgently position the Royal stockings “in prominent positions for sales”, provides them with the necessary posters and asks for their unconditional support in this “matter of prestige”. He asks: “Will the terror methods of the private and cooperative traders win against the factories which supply us, or are the Migros cooperatives strong enough to protect their suppliers and thus ensure themselves top-class brands?”
He then throws his PR machine into action: a scene is quickly added to the promotional film Familie M Junior of stockings being sold, Migros advertises Royal stockings and the Migros press appeals to customer solidarity: “See what you can do! We have helped you in so much – help us and our factories now.”
The women do not fail their Dutti: within three and a half weeks, 210,000 pairs of Royal stockings are sold, requiring the staff in Wil to work double shifts. Duttweiler triumphantly announces: “The customer is master and the huge trade associations are the losers.”