In the country
The subjective experience of shopping shows considerable regional variation.
Villages and rural areas often have small branches of major supermarket chains
such as the Coop, Migros, Denner or visavis, offering a wide range of consumer
staples. Most of these small shops close for lunch and on Wednesday afternoons.
Shops close not later than 16:00 on Saturdays and remain closed all day on
Sundays.
In towns
The range of goods on offer in the major conurbations is much wider. The
regulations governing opening hours are also more flexible and shops often
remain open at lunch time. A considerable variety of merchandise is on sale and
many international fashion houses, such as Mango, Esprit, H&M and C&A,
have branches in all large towns.
Swiss cuisine has become very international. There are many delicatessens
specialising in Italian, Spanish and Asian foods.
Shops in towns normally have late opening on Thursday evenings. This reflects
the tradition of "evening shopping". Thursday closing time is
generally 21:00.
The major retailers originally stocked mainly food. They have now
substantially broadened their ranges and also sell clothing, sports articles and
so on. The retailers concerned are the Coop, Migros and Manor, as well as
Carrefour.
Migros and the Coop have the densest network of branches and are also
represented in the smallest places. Migros has traditionally not sold alcoholic
beverages.
Shopping centres
There is a plethora of shopping centres in Switzerland. As in other
countries, shops exist here side by side with restaurants, photo finishers,
pharmacies and many other services. These centres are mostly located in readily
accessible locations just outside town centres. Examples include Shoppyland
Schönbühl (Berne), Centre Avry (Fribourg) and Balexert (Geneva).
Railway stations
An increasing number of stations have late- and Sunday-opening shops on site.
Depending on station size, the range of shops extends from those selling
consumer staples to fully-fledged arcades with flower shops, food shops,
clothing shops, shoe shops and even pharmacies. They are valued increasingly for
being open in the evenings and on Sundays.
Service stations
Many service stations sell not only fuel but also food and drink. Even if
their prices are often above average, they have the advantage of
competition-beating opening hours (generally from 08:00 to 22:00), 365 days a
year.
In addition, there are increasing opportunities for online shopping in
Switzerland.
Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2006
Reproduction is authorised.
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