Christmas trees: increasingly Swiss and purchased earlier

Christmas trees: increasingly Swiss and purchased earlier Keystone-SDA

Demand for Christmas trees from Swiss forests continues to increase and customers are buying earlier than in the past, says Philipp Gut, director of the IG Suisse Christbaum trade association.

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Large retailers in particular are increasingly demanding locally grown trees item, he explains to the Awp news agency. In some cases, Swiss companies are even finding it difficult to meet the demand. But the development is judged to be cheering: “We hope the trend will continue,” the expert notes.

However, the organisation does not want to encourage operators to grow more on a large scale: demand can change rapidly, and given the slow pace of the industry, it is best to be cautious, as a Christmas tree takes seven to ten years to grow to the required size.

Coop is the only retailer offering solely Swiss trees; however, foreign shrubs are found at the Jumbo branch, which is why for the group as a whole the domestic share is about two-thirds, a spokesman indicated. At Migros the percentage rises to 90%, as in previous years. At Landi two out of every two trees are Swiss: the share has risen significantly in recent years; previously the ratio was one to one. Aldi, on the other hand, focuses exclusively on imported trees, while Lidl once again will not sell this type of product.

Meanwhile, the holiday mood is being anticipated. “For some time now we have been observing the trend of buying Christmas trees earlier and earlier,” Gut continued. As a result, there is already a good demand in early December. This advance is not a problem: a Nordmann fir tree can last three to four weeks indoors if it is watered regularly.

More consumers are also opting for a potted Christmas tree: both Landi and Coop report an increase in demand for this. Such trees are placed in the house, then depending on the situation can be planted in the garden or returned as if it had been a loan. However, this segment is still a niche market.

Many consumers believe that potted plants are more sustainable, but this is not always the case: many trees do not survive transplanting. Staying in a warm apartment also puts a lot of stress on the trees, which are effectively hibernating. A potted tree is therefore more sustainable only if it survives, the German magazine Ökotest wrote last year.

Moreover, the pot represents an additional burden that should not be neglected. In contrast, classic “dead” trees are only transported once and then usually recycled.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/mga

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