Migros Aare appears to be closing M-Electronics branches on its own
One of the ten cooperatives is already thwarting the plans of Migros president Mario Erminger. This causes red heads at the headquarters.
Migros Aare is closing six M-Electronics sites in its region on its own initiative.
Image: PD (icon image)
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Migros wants to sell electronics retailer M-Electronics. At the annual media conference About ten days ago, Mario Erminger, president of Migros, seemed confident. A “one-stop solution” will be found for SportX and M-Electronics. He said: “And to expect: it seems good that this solution will be announced in the summer.” The goal is to “sell and hold clearly.”
But now many branches of M-Electronics have already been closed – especially in the Ari cooperative, as reported by the newspaper “Blick”. At least six locations will open there by the end of August, including one in Bern's Westside Mall. The Migros cooperative in Lucerne is also canceling its M-Electronics branch, which is located in the Switzerland Mall in Ibekon. Why: It was a big loss, says an insider. This decision was made over a year ago, long before the exit decision.
Decide what you see fit
Although it gives the impression that the closures that have now become known have nothing to do with the restructuring plans of Migros President Mario Erminger. Instead, in the world of Migros, it seems that one hand does not know what the other hand is doing. Or more likely: some people ignore the decisions of others.
Sovereignty over individual specialty stores lies not with the Migros Cooperative Society (MGB), but with individual cooperatives. Migros Aare in particular seems to be following its own strategy when it comes to loss-making specialty stores. “Migros Aare is pooling its strengths and focusing on its core business,” she says when asked. After a comprehensive review, it was decided to close the branches due to insufficient economic prospects. Migros Ari did not say what he plans to do with the freed space.
Irminger, who has been in office as president of Migros for about a year, does not yet seem to have found an effective solution to the declared federalism of the Migros world. It appears that some regional princes still wish to make decisions at their own discretion and not according to instructions issued by the MGB headquarters in Zurich.
Do-it-Garden branches are disappearing, too
The fact that Migros Aare is now accelerating its M-Electronics closures is also raising eyebrows among senior insiders. “I and the other managers on my team don't understand this,” they say. The steps are confusing because “negotiations are ongoing with several interested parties.”
But that's not all: In addition to the M-Electronics locations, Migros Aare is closing at least two Do-it-Garden branches, according to Blick – one in Brügg, the other in Burgdorf. This means that the specialty store sector, which Migros wanted to sell as a complete package, is shrinking if a buyer can be found. Does Migros know exactly how many branches and regions you want to sell? And are there plans to close more specialist stores in other cooperatives – for example in SportX, Obi or Micasa?
Migros confirms the closure of the aforementioned branches of the Ari Cooperative and those in Emmen. Aside from that, according to company spokesman Marcel Schlatter, “there are currently no plans to close more specialty stores.”
Migros Lucerne is closing the M-Electronics branch in the Mall of Switzerland in Ebikon and not in Emmen, as we first wrote. We corrected this on Saturday, April 6 at 2:15 p.m.
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