Due to the risk of energy shortages, Migros and Coop are taking the lead and will limit the temperature to 19 degrees in their stores and shopping centers this autumn. These measures are in addition to the decision to forgo the Christmas lights and reduce the lighting of signs.
“We only heat the stores up to a maximum of 19 degrees,” a Migros spokesperson said on Tuesday. “We reduce the lighting of the logos whenever possible,” he added. The group is also studying the possibility of lowering the temperature in its offices, club schools and fitness centers.
At Coop, management has decided to reduce the temperature in offices, warehouses and stores by two degrees. For stores, this corresponds to a temperature of 19 degrees, said a spokesperson.
Shopping centers also affected
These measures concern not only the stores of the two distributors, but also the main shopping centers in French-speaking Switzerland, such as Balexert in Vernier (GE), Avry Center in Avry (FR) and Marin Center in La Tène (NE), all three operated by Migros.
At Manor, storefronts will be dark one hour following stores close, a spokeswoman confirmed. The department store chain had already announced that it would give up outdoor Christmas lights.
No Christmas lights
At the beginning of September, Migros and Coop had also indicated that they would give up Christmas lights and be content with non-illuminated decorations. Last week, the Glattzentrum shopping center in Wallisellen near Zurich made a similar announcement.
“Developments in the electricity market are very dynamic, the measures are continuously adapted”, says one at Migros. Other decisions that the orange giant does not detail might therefore take place depending on the evolution of the situation.
In July, the Sonntagszeitung newspaper mentioned the scenario of closing one in five subsidiaries for Migros, or 130 stores for Switzerland. “We do not comment on speculative and hypothetical scenarios,” insisted the spokesperson.
Abroad too
Among our neighbors also, comparable measures have been announced in mass distribution. In France, Leclerc has thus planned to lower the temperature in its stores to between 18 and 20 degrees and to reduce the lighting.
In Germany, it is even a federal law, the Energy Saving Ordinance, which sets the maximum temperature in public places, including supermarkets, at 19 degrees since September 1.
According to the French umbrella association of large retailers Perifem, the energy bill represented 30% of the net profit of the brands before the recent surge in energy costs. Therefore, if nothing is done, the repercussions on the prices of items will be too great for the consumer, the federation recently indicated.
ats/oxen
