Manor department stores to cut 476 jobs across Switzerland
The company runs 59 department stores, 30 supermarkets and 27 restaurants.
Keystone / Ennio Leanza
The high street retailer Manor has announced plans to reduce approximately 5% of its workforce due to online competition and the effect of coronavirus on sales.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-Keystone/ac
Português
pt
Loja de departamentos Manor corta 476 empregos em toda a Suíça
The company said the decision was part of a strategic transformation to bring its high street and online shopping arms closer together. The Basel-based firm has drawn up a redundancy plan.
The company revealed that 91 out of 830 positions will be eliminated at the Basel headquarters and 385 in department stores across the country. Manor is a significant player in the Swiss high street with 59 department stores, 30 supermarkets and 27 restaurants. The company is owned by the Geneva-based holding company Maus Frères.
There are no plans to close any subsidiaries though, as the group regularly assesses the profitability of the various sites, said a company spokesperson. In Zurich, where Manor had had to abandon its flagship location on Bahnhofstrasse after a lengthy dispute with landlord Swiss Life, the company is still “intensively” looking for an alternative solution, the spokesperson added.
The retailer, under pressure from e-commerce and weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, wants to accelerate multi-channel distribution by bringing together purchases made in its stores and online.
“The coronavirus crisis has hit the non-food sector within the retail trade hard, but it has also had a catalytic effect,” said CEO Jérôme Gilg, and that “the acceleration in our e-commerce activities is in line with our two-year progress strategy”.
Manor’s stated objective is to increase the current share of online commerce fivefold by the end of 2024. The management wants to focus on fresh products and gastronomy in the food segment and on fashion, beauty, interior decoration and household items in the non-food segment.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Study reports 12 female CEOs in top 100 Swiss companies
This content was published on
More women are in management and on the board of directors at the largest Swiss companies than ever before. But they remain a clear minority, a new report shows.
Geneva to host conference on Middle East conflict on March 7
This content was published on
A conference on the situation of civilians living in the Israeli occupied territories will take place in Geneva on March 7, the Swiss foreign ministry has confirmed.
Swiss central bank chief rejects holding bitcoin in reserves
This content was published on
Swiss National Bank (SNB) President Martin Schlegel rejects the idea that the central bank should hold part of its reserves in bitcoin, as proposed by a people's initiative.
The legal changes that come into force in Switzerland on March 1
This content was published on
On March 1, a number of legal changes come into force relating to self-driving cars, increased imports of grain and lower electricity usage costs. Here is an overview.
Swiss president condemns Russian aggression and calls for peace in Ukraine
This content was published on
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter has reaffirmed Switzerland's commitment to a "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine, while condemning Russian aggression.
Swiss organisations unhappy with species protection funding
This content was published on
Swiss environmental organisations consider the financing plan adopted at the World Conference on Nature in Rome to be inadequate.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland set to fine cross-border shoppers undeterred by coronavirus
This content was published on
The government has clarified who can enter the country under current measures, as authorities are inundated with complaints over border restrictions.
This content was published on
Electronics and fashion goods dominated orders. Food accounted for just 2.8% of the total goods consumed (up from 1.8% in 2018), but the report’s authors expect orders to increase this year with people reluctant to go to supermarkets in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Online shoppers predominantly favoured Swiss products, spending CHF8.3 billion in domestic…
This content was published on
The “Shoppi” in a Zurich-area suburb changed the Swiss shopping style.
Prosperity in Switzerland rose massively after the Second World War.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.