Do-it-yourself

In order to provide people with useful pastimes, Migros launched the «do-it-yourself-movement» in 1959 and opened the first centre for hobbyists in Zurich. It quickly became clear that the most popular offerings related to cars.

Since working hours had been reduced, Gottlieb Duttweiler wanted to give people «increased opportunities to create positive leisure time activities». Inspired by the American model, Migros introduced the «do-it-yourself-movement» in 1959. Its first centre in Zurich had a «hobbyist shop» and space for courses in carpentry, painting, wallpapering, masonry and sailing boats construction. The Brückenbauer promised: «Participants experience an inner satisfaction by accomplishing something that they can see with their own hands. This is beneficial for today’s modern person who lives mostly in office rooms and on factory floors».
It turned out that the courses on «car technology» and «car service», as well as the petrol station with a garage where people could do «lighter maintenance work» themselves, were far more popular. As a result, the second centre had only a garage with an automatic car wash and a hobbyist shop. But Duttweiler was actually correct because he prophetically stated at the opening of the first workshop: «Entire armies of retirees will come to us, simply needing a stimulating activity».