"We want to make things easier"

Rémy Müller, what makes a good brand?
Brands promise maximum performance, but this comes at a higher price. Generally speaking, a brand is good if customers believe this value proposition and are actually prepared to pay more for it.

Does this also apply to Migros' own brands?
Not quite. Whereas they too offer maximum performance, they are significantly cheaper. However, we found that not all of our own brands fulfil this promise equally. Migros has therefore begun to reorganise its range and discontinue 80 of its approximately 250 own brands.

That sounds like a lot.
I'm convinced that even our most loyal Migros customers would be hard-pressed to list 50 of our own brands. Everyone probably knows Frey, Farmer and Blévita, and of course these will remain. But who has ever heard of Oh!, our high-protein own brand? Who notices the M-Classic brand when buying cottage cheese or shampoo? That's not necessary. This is why such products will now simply be labelled "Migros". This will save us money that we would rather invest in the quality of the content. Every additional brand means additional costs because it has to be maintained, advertised and periodically revised.

What then does the new Migros own brand represent?
First and foremost, it is a strong and trustworthy brand. However, it will probably also be seen as a signature and a seal of quality. That's why it will work equally well on coffee, shampoo and yoghurt. This gives us the freedom to develop the best and most appealing packaging for each of these products. In the case of meat, this means that you can mainly see the schnitzel behind the transparent film covered only by a small white label. Nothing distracts from the product, while the common thread is the Migros logo that everyone knows.

How much of this revamp is already visible when shopping at Migros?
Some products have already been switched. For example, our lentil and chickpea crisps. These will be followed by drinks and then tinned food. We will convert thousands of products by the end of the year. The previous packaging will remain visible for some time, especially on longer-lasting items, because it has already been produced and we don't want to create any unnecessary waste. A changeover like this is very complex and takes time. It will probably be about two years before the last of the "old" packaging disappears from our shelves.

Nevertheless, what will you tell customers who miss "their" brands?
We are acutely aware that change also means getting used to something new and therefore initially complicates the shopping experience. That's why we are supporting our customers closely during this switch. Frequently purchased products whose new packaging is very different from the old one will be labelled with an appropriate sticker. We will clearly state that this is purely a change of packaging. The contents will remain unchanged, as will the price. In some cases we are even increasing the quality, for example by reducing the sugar content.

What's next for the M-Budget brand?
We will be transferring many M-Budget products to the new Migros brand. For me, liquid hand soap is a good example: hardly anyone would buy it and put it in their bathroom at home because the packaging signals that the purchaser is making compromises. Yet the soap is of very high quality. So we are repackaging it in such a way that this also comes across. The same applies to mayonnaise, whose new design means that it can easily be placed on your table when you're having guests. Or our crisps at children's birthday parties. What remains is the low price.

What else will customers gain from the switch?
We want to make things easier - for us as Migros and above all for our customers - through better orientation on the shelves and greater clarity on packaging. At the same time, we're currently revising our product ranges and weeding out numerous duplicates. As a result, you'll have a significantly better overview when shopping at Migros. That's a bonus for everyone, since we have tens of thousands of products.

Which new product do you personally like best?
I particularly like our new mayonnaise, which will go on sale in a few weeks' time. I also think the new Lamate mate is very successful. What I like even more than individual products is the overall result: we'll have the best range for our customers, and products that we are proud of and are packaged accordingly.