2024-03-11 18:09:56
CFF stations always offer more shops. Independent brands are rare there. Nearly 75% of the stalls and catering services offered to travelers belong to a chain.
From food to fashion to entertainment, stations are transforming into hot spots for consumption. Don’t necessarily expect to find nuggets of local craftsmanship there, or taste the local specialties. The large chains and distribution giants have largely taken control of these new temples of commerce.
Of all the stations in Switzerland, almost three out of four businesses belong to a group. In Lausanne, 93% of brands are part of a chain. Some stops do not have any independent stores. This is particularly the case in Yverdon-les-Bains, Sion and Morges.
In Geneva, the Cornavin station underwent major work between 2009 and 2014, becoming the largest station in French-speaking Switzerland. However, this commercial and passenger hub only has eight independent brands out of 42.
Some stations are exceptions, such as Lugano where more than half of the stalls and catering services are not affiliated with a chain. In Neuchâtel and Fribourg, they only represent a third of the businesses.
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Valora, Coop and Migros omnipresent
How does SBB choose its tenants? The show A Bon Entendeur asked them the question. For the railway company, the offer of shops on their premises is based above all on the desires of their consumers. “We have a mix of tenants that meets the needs of our customers,” according to Fabien Wengeler, acquisitions manager at CFF Immobilier.
In this mix, one actor takes the lion’s share. The Valora group, which passed into Mexican hands two years ago, interferes in 200 CFF stops. Thanks to its K Kiosk, Brezelkönig, Caffè Spettacolo and its Avec grocery stores, the group has a total of 326 brands.
Behind Valora, we find the two major retailers Coop and Migros. With their different brands, they have 72 and 59 brands respectively.
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Stations have become urban lungs, fundamental in the CFF’s operating mission. The spaces are optimized so that customers do not just pass through, but stop to consume. The former federal government wants to make them business cards, both from the point of view of mobility and commercial offers. “We want to make stations safe, clean and above all comfortable” adds Fabien Wengeler.
With this in mind, the CFF regularly puts out competitions for the rental of their commercial spaces with criteria that they recognize as demanding. You must be able to serve customers quickly and over extended hours. These difficulties require more staff and adequate infrastructure. “We can say that, sometimes, these criteria are difficult to meet for certain small local businesses,” estimate the CFF.
>> Revisit the ABE subject “Stations, the new temples of consumption”: Train stations, the new temples of consumption / A word to the wise / 28 min. / Tuesday at 8:10 p.m.
Cyrille Gay-Crosier
1710187507
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