Number of stores in Switzerland on the rise
Published: Wednesday, Aug 14th 2024, 10:50
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Over the past ten years, the number of bricks-and-mortar retail stores in Switzerland has increased again. However, online retail has experienced an even greater boom.
From 2014 to 2023, more stores were opened in Switzerland than closed, the financial information service Crif reported on Wednesday. Specifically, 5,349 new bricks-and-mortar stores were opened during this period, which corresponds to an increase of around 17 percent. In contrast, more than 31,000 stores disappeared in the period from 2009 to 2018.
The strongest growth was recorded by stores in the food, perfumery, beverage retail and flower and plant retail sectors. In contrast, retail outlets selling consumer electronics, computers and software disappeared particularly frequently. There were also fewer bakeries, butchers and clothing stores.
While more stores disappeared than opened in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019, the balance was positive in 2017, 2018 and from 2020 to 2023.
Online-Shops boomen
However, online businesses recorded by far the highest growth rates. In the past ten years, a net increase of around 42% was recorded. There was a real growth spurt in 2020 and 2021 in particular due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In total figures, however, online stores are still clearly lagging behind. Only around 800 online stores were opened in 2023, compared to almost 4,000 bricks-and-mortar stores.
Crif's survey included all retail businesses and online stores entered in the commercial register that were founded or deleted during the period under review.
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