The MM principle

The Migros Markets, with their vast array of goods, were designed for city locations. On the other hand, the «miniature supermarket» experiment in Delsberg proved that the «one-stop shop» concept could also be successful in small towns.

The Migros Market, MM for short, is the logical development of the Migros self-service store. Its “distinguishing characteristics” are a widely expanded range, particularly in the non-food sector, a butcher counter with fresh meat, a bakery and a snack bar. Often, an Ex Libris book corner, a demonstration space for household appliances and later a flower corner are included. The Migros Markets also offer enough space for new articles to be advertised through demonstrations and tastings. It is therefore appropriate that Migros soon launches the MM slogan: “Everything under one roof.”
All these attributes apply to the first Migros Market that opens at Limmatplatz in Zurich in the autumn of 1952. In the same month, the Migros also opens a ‘miniature supermarket’ in Delémont. Smaller and more modest, it is considered an experiment to determine whether the MM principle is suitable for medium-sized locations.
At the end of the year, Migros is happy. The branch in Delémont is completely successful, and the turnover on MM Limmatplatz exceeds all expectations. Thus, the business report records that the introduction of the Migros Markets “is a new phase in the development of our company, equally decisive to the first non-mobile branch in 1927 and the first self-service shop in 1948”.