The supermarkets topping the charts

17,325

On Whit Monday, 15,156 purchases were made at the Migros store at Cornavin – a record for 2024. Apart from public holidays, Sundays are the other high footfall days with around 12,000 customers. In 2023, 3,580,000 receipts were issued.

In Zurich, the busiest day so far in 2024 was Ascension Thursday with 17,325 purchases made at the Migros store in the city’s main station. Public holidays and Sundays are the other days when the supermarket attracts the most shoppers with around 15,000 transactions. In 2023, 4,900,109 receipts were issued.

100

In Geneva, store manager Anthony Bergerat leads a 90-strong team. Between 15 and 20 staff work at the same time, continuously restocking the shelves. Meanwhile, in Zurich, 42-year-old Arlind Salihi heads up a team of 100 staff. Both stores are open 365 days a year.

1,000

The Geneva store’s floor space covers just over 400 m² and holds the record for the most sales per m² in French-speaking Switzerland. In Zurich, the store covers just over 1,000 m². This supermarket holds the Swiss record for most sales per m². In both stores, small crowds can form at the entrance.

35

The number of Subito checkouts in Geneva was recently increased to 22 to improve the flow of customers. The store still has six traditional checkouts, one of which is also used as a customer service point. In Zurich, there are 35 checkouts, including 24 Subito ones, which handle almost three-quarters of all transactions.

50,000

With a range including 6,000 different items, the Geneva store sells between 30,000 and 50,000 products every day. This means lots of stock has to be delivered and put on display. Up to eight lorries loaded with 17 to 25 pallets deliver to the store every day (except Sundays). The Zurich supermarket stocks around 20,000 items, delivered by up to ten lorries a day.

304,000

Butter croissants (304,000), pains au chocolat (229,000) and bottles of Evian Sport (183,000) were the top-selling items in Geneva in 2023. In Zurich, butter croissants (243,075), Red Bull cans (172,642) and Sils croissants (161,823) were the three most popular items last year.

4

Located on the basement level, the Geneva outlet’s storage facility includes five refrigerated rooms, and every last millimetre of space is used, from floor to ceiling. Two huge goods lifts for lowering delivered goods or lifting them up to go on display are in continuous operation. In Zurich, the goods storage facility covers two floors, both of which are well-stocked. On Saturdays, four refrigerated lorries remain at the unloading ramps to provide additional storage space.

“Everyone helps each other out”

24-year-old Marlon Vannuchi, grocery section manager in Geneva, and 32-year-old Kushtrim Zulali, fruit and vegetable manager in Zurich, give us an insight into their daily lives in these two extraordinary stores.

What makes this store so special?

Marlon Vannuchi: Obviously, the long opening hours and very high footfall make this store unique. But that’s not all! It serves a wide range of customers, from local workers and commuters during the week to Geneva residents and tourists at weekends. We actually speak a lot of English here.

Kushtrim Zulali: Our store is classified in the “M” category. But the size of our team and our sales make it worthy of a “MMM”. Our clientele also differs from other stores. We don’t have many regular customers here, but instead lots of commuters, young people going out at the weekend as well as tourists.

Is the job more demanding than elsewhere?

MV: I’m still young and don’t really find it an issue. But the pace is very fast compared with other Migros stores I’ve experienced. I worked out I was covering between 12 and 15 km a day during my working hours.

Is ordering stock more complex than in other stores?

KZ: Yes, because we handle very large volumes, and have to try to estimate sales accurately. But sales depend on the weather, any promotional campaigns running and the quality of products, as well as other factors particular to a store open every day of the year. We have to take Sundays into account, and look at when public holidays fall in the week so we can organise deliveries in advance. All this knowledge is gained step by step and can’t be learned in a classroom, but only here on the ground.

Do you have time to get to know your colleagues?

MV: We all face the same challenges and try to help each other out. If one section has a problem, we all lend a hand. And there are lots of young people working here. The atmosphere is great. This store can seem daunting for colleagues from other stores due to its high footfall, but once they start working here, they don’t usually want to leave.

KZ: Yes, there’s a good atmosphere here and, as in Geneva, the various sections try to help each other out because things can quickly become chaotic.

Is working Sundays inconvenient?

MV: In Geneva, we may have to work on Sundays, public holidays and evenings –depending on requirements. But we have lots of students working here who help us to cover these shifts. Personally, I enjoy working these days as it's really interesting in terms of professional experience as footfall is at its peak. It’s something you simply have to experience in your career.

KZ: In Zurich, every employee is entitled to at least one weekend off a month. And if I have to work a Sunday, I get Saturday off. That means I can enjoy time with my family. I also get time off during the week to spend with my two children. As far as public holidays go, we do everything we can to ensure all members of the team get their fair share of time off. If I have to work at Christmas, for example, I’ll get time off for Bayram.