“Non” won: No alcohol at Swiss supermarket chain Migros

Switzerland | Migros’ 2.3 million cooperative members do not want to see alcohol on Migros’ shelves. In a vote they prevailed against Migros’ leadership: The administration of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (MGB) wanted to lift the ban on alcohol, as did the ten regional administrations.

Members could cast their vote until 4 June. The turnout was massive, Migros said on 16 June.  In total, more than 630,000 cooperative members took part in the ballots. This corresponds to a voter turnout of 29 percent.

The opposition to alcohol was quite clear everywhere – most clearly in Zurich, where 80.3 percent said “no” to alcohol. The result was closest in the canton of Ticino, where only 55.3 percent voted no. The introduction of alcohol would have required a two-thirds majority.

Protecting public health

The alcohol ban at Migros has been in force since 1928. Migros’ founder Gottlieb Duttweiler introduced it to protect public health. Alcoholism was widespread in Switzerland during this period.

In 1948, Duttweiler had members vote on the alcohol ban. They supported it with 52.4 percent. This time round, the opposition to alcohol was even higher.

Migros’ cooperative committees had supported a lifting of the ban, saying consumption habits had changed. If customers were able to buy alcohol from its 658 stores, they would also buy other stuff. By not offering alcoholic beverages, they said, Migros is at a competitive disadvantage compared with other retailers like Coop, Lidl, Aldi, and online retailers, which do offer alcohol. Migros has already lost its first rank in Swiss supermarket sales to the Coop group.

However, Migros has been offering alcohol at its subsidiaries, such as Denner, a chain of discount stores, and Migrolino, a chain of convenience stores. They will not be affected by the vote.

Cheers to democracy

Migros’ management said it was proud that the campaign had elicited such widespread media response and discussions on digital media. This shows that Migros and its values “can trigger a social discussion”. And it demonstrates how attached shoppers are to Migros.

And now? Will everything stay the same? Not quite: Migros is introducing a non-alcoholic beer simply called “Non”. Brewed in Switzerland, it will be available from 2023.