Surprise for customers: self-service sales vans!

Customers shopping at Migros stores have been familiar with the efficient principle of self-service since 1948. Without any announcements, the first Migros self-service sales van finally sets out on the Sursee/Triengen/Reiden/Hasle route on 4 April 1960 at the initiative of Rudolf Weber, Migros Lucerne Managing Director. The new system immediately gains acceptance amongst customers and leads to an increase in sales of over 30%. The new sales van models also mean the product range can be expanded: in 1925, the first staffed sales van had just six products available, but by 1945 that figure had risen to around 320. The launch of the self-service vans sees the range continue to grow: in 1961, it reaches around 400 products, while it stands at 500 and rising by the beginning of 1964. Their predecessors, the staffed sales vans, are gradually replaced by the more modern self-service vehicles by 1976. From the 1980s, the Migros sales vans finally fall victim to a steadily growing network of stores. The final two sales vans—stocking 1100 products—are taken out of service in Upper Valais at the end of 2007, where they still served some remote mountain villages.