During her career, Ryser has held leading positions at several national and international IT, consulting and communications companies, including Swisscom, INS International Network Services, BT Switzerland, Westiform and most recently Admeira. Over the past ten years, the business administration graduate has held the position of CFO.

At Farner, Karin Ryser succeeds Roland Oberhauser, who has been CFO of Management Services since 2013. Oberhauser will make his many years of experience and expertise available to the Board of Directors of Farner Consulting.

According to the figures published on Monday by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, which are still provisional, sales in the Swiss retail sector rose by 0.1 percent in nominal terms. In real terms, i.e. excluding inflation, the increase was 0.8 percent.

According to the data, the measures taken to combat the Corona pandemic had very different effects on the various sectors of the economy. For example, the food and beverage trade benefited primarily from the impassable borders, which prevented shopping tourism, and the closed restaurants and bars. Other segments, such as clothing or shoes, on the other hand, suffered from the lockdown of the corresponding stores.

Booming Internet trade

Overall, the retail trade in food, beverages and tobacco recorded nominal sales growth of 8.5 percent, according to the FSO figures. In particular, the "mail order and internet trade" (+14.1%), "information and communication technology equipment" (+13.8%) and "other household appliances, textiles, DIY and home furnishings" (+2.2%) sectors saw much stronger demand in the Corona year 2020.

The non-food sector, on the other hand, recorded a 4.7 percent drop in sales. The FSO sectors "service stations" (-16.1%), "other goods" such as clothing, pharmacies, watches and jewelry (-12.5%) and "publishing products, sports equipment and toys" (-7.1%) were hit hardest by the crisis.

Development in the current year 2021 is likely to continue to depend on the course of the Corona pandemic. As long as bars and restaurants remain closed and travel abroad is also subject to restrictions, sales in the food sector are likely to benefit in principle and suffer in non-food retail.

Base effect leads to slowdown in 2021

However, the current lockdown is likely to be followed by renewed pent-up consumption, which will support retail sales, retail specialist Tiziana Hunziker of Credit Suisse told the AWP news agency. However, as travel is expected to increase compared to the previous year - also thanks to progress on vaccinations - the recovery in the non-food segment after the lockdown is unlikely to be quite as dynamic as in the spring.

Overall, CS economists expect retail sales to decline by 1.7 percent in 2021. According to a study published a month ago, sales in the food and near-food sector are likely to fall by 6 percent after a very strong year in 2020. So the talk here is mainly of a base effect.

The sales trend in many segments was so positive in 2020 that a return to these levels in 2021 seems unlikely under normal circumstances, the study said. This is all the more the case in the absence of driving forces for the retail trade such as higher wages and immigration.

This would be felt above all by those segments that grew strongly in 2020 compared with the previous year: In addition to food retail, these include do-it-yourself, garden and automotive accessories, home electronics, personal care and health, and leisure.

Internet trade should continue to benefit from the tailwind from the Corona crisis. For the past year, CS economists estimate growth of 55 percent to 16 billion Swiss francs in Internet orders. (SDA)

The age-related resignation of a member of the management team had forced Schneider Spannagel Architekten to take a close look at the company's name and image. This ultimately led to a complete rebranding, which was carried out in collaboration with Megura.

How about a new name?

It all started with the simple question of a new name, which set one stone after another rolling. The foundations were first laid in a brand workshop: Values were captured, visions sharpened and the brand core defined. The name Lumo, which is based on this, stands for the adjectives light, uncomplicated, modern, open and is intended to reflect the values and working methods of the office as well as the architectural style of the realized buildings. On this basis, the new corporate identity was finally developed.

A movable logo

With the developed basis the consequent reorganization of the company succeeded: from the down-to-earth appearing architecture office Schneider Spannagel to the contemporary-agile studio named Lumo Architekten - with new name and logo included. Website, stationery, signage and everything that goes with it. Incidentally, the new company's lightness and love of experimentation is also evident in digital media in a subtly playful way: The reduced logo allows the distinctive four letters to be moved around in space, creating ever new combinations.

The committee will work primarily for TX Group's ventures division (TX Ventures) as well as TX Markets, according to a statement Monday. The focus will be on investments in early-stage or growth-stage startups in the consumer fintech, productivity and digital entertainment sectors.

The committee includes Romy Schnelle, (Partner High-Tech Gründerfonds), Pietro Supino (President and Publisher TX Group), as well as Sandro Macciacchini (Head of Finance& Human Resources TX Group), Samuel Hügli (Head of Technology & Ventures TX Group) and Olivier Rihs (CEO TX Markets).

It is supported by Andreas Schlenker (Chief Corporate Development Officer TX Markets) and Jens Schleuniger (Head of Portfolio Management Ventures, TX Group). (SDA)

In the form of a management buyout, Grayling Switzerland is separating from the Grayling network and will now operate in the Swiss market under the name Your PR. However, through a mutually exclusive affiliate partnership, the close contact and cooperation with Grayling will continue, according to a statement on Monday. "Leaving the network was a well-considered step, which now gives us the opportunity to showcase our strengths in the field of brand communications and PR 2.0 even more strongly and, above all, to show our clients even more clearly that they are our focus - which is also clearly reflected in our new name" explains Birte Schnellen, owner of Your PR.

The team remains the same. "Your PR is characterized by creative ideas, a close-knit network of service providers in all industry-relevant areas, and always uncomplicated cooperation. Clients can expect a 360-degree all-round communications service. The comprehensive and always tailor-made offer ranges from concept to implementation, from media releases and PR events to influencer marketing or social media support," says the owner about the strategic realignment, which is also reflected in the new Website manifested.

For example, Serafe had subsequently acted as the sole point of contact for all customer inquiries - including those that Serafe was not actually required to answer. These included questions about incorrect personal data. The Federal Office of Communications Bakom confirmed to the SonntagsZeitung the receipt of a compilation of Serafe for claimed additional expenses.

Neither side, however, would reveal the amounts involved. The SonntagsZeitung writes that the claims are likely to amount to several million francs. Serafe has been collecting radio and TV fees on behalf of the federal government for two years. To date, it has repeatedly sent out incorrect invoices. The main reason for the incorrect invoices are the lists supplied by the municipalities with the addresses of the households liable to pay the fees. (SDA)

According to the press release, Kohler has led the editorial team of the regional journal since 2009 and positioned it as an important journalistic voice in the region. He will be leaving the radio station at the end of July to devote himself to projects in the field of journalism and communication as an independent specialist.

The successor to the head of the editorial team has not yet been decided, as the SRF media office informed the Keystone-SDA news agency in response to an inquiry. The position will be advertised internally.

Dieter Kohler has worked for Radio DRS and later SRF since 1989. In addition to his editorial work at Regionaljournal, he also worked as a domestic editor, correspondent for French-speaking Switzerland and the Swiss parliament and as an interviewer for the Samstagsrundschau. (SDA)

SRF spokesperson Andrea Wenger told the Keystone-SDA news agency that 20 full-time positions will be cut in the culture department. However, 11 full-time positions will be created at the same time in order to develop new offerings.

SRF is planning various adjustments to its cultural programming. For example, the unmoderated night program on Radio SRF 2 Kultur will start two hours earlier than before. From spring 2021, the night program will start at 10 p.m. instead of midnight. The programs after 10 p.m. such as "Fiori musicali" and "Nachtflug" will be discontinued, as SRF announced on Friday.

In addition, the number of concert recordings on radio and television will be reduced. The budgets of various cultural editorial offices are being cut.

In return, new offerings will be developed in the areas of knowledge, documentary, philosophy, fiction and cultural reporting, SRF wrote in the press release.

The background to the measures is declining advertising revenue. SRF therefore wants to save a total of CHF 16 million. The broadcaster also plans to reallocate a further CHF 52 million by the end of 2022. The aim is to enable new offerings for "increasingly mobile, digital, location- and time-independent use".

Further adjustments to the existing program are also planned. For example, SRF is launching daily cultural reporting on Instagram. (SDA)

The journalist with many years of experience as Head of Communications in the insurance and healthcare sectors will take up her position as Head of Communications for German-speaking Switzerland on March 1, 2021. After training as a secondary school teacher at the University of Zurich, the 48-year-old turned to journalism and trained at the MAZ in Lucerne.

Simone Hinnen worked as a journalist and chief reporter for the Luzerner Zeitung newspaper. She then took on a senior communications role at Die Mobiliar before moving to the Canton of Lucerne's Department of Health and Social Affairs as Head of Communications, where she was responsible for internal and external communications.

Hinnen has spent the past year and a half with her family in Sweden, where she worked as a freelance correspondent and media coach.

Apple will soon give users new ways to limit data collection on iPhones. They will be able to more easily prevent apps and advertising services from collecting information about their behavior across the boundaries of individual apps and websites. Apple's plan is that each app will have to ask users for permission to access it.

Facebook fears that personalization of advertising will become less accurate due to less knowledge about people. Yet the promise to advertisers to precisely target the desired audience is a cornerstone of Facebook's business model. Apple confirmed on Thursday that the plan for iPhone and iPad will be implemented despite Facebook's objection.

The iPhone company also went on the offensive and denounced the fact that hundreds of data traders were collecting information about users via trackers hidden in apps - in some cases without their knowledge. Among other things, they recorded the whereabouts of users in order to use them for advertising.

Zuckerberg and Facebook had already criticized in recent months that poorer personalized advertising would hurt small and medium-sized companies in particular. And yet, especially in the Corona crisis, they depend on the online network as a platform for their business. Facebook collects data from various sources "to help small businesses reach their customers more efficiently," Zuckerberg said. The accusation is that Apple's actions could slow down the entire economy.

Apple pursues its own interests, according to Zuckerberg

But the Facebook chief took his criticism up a notch. "Apple may claim they're doing it to help people - but their moves clearly follow their competitive interests," Zuckerberg said in a conference call with analysts after presenting recent quarterly figures. "I want to emphasize that we increasingly see Apple as one of our biggest competitors."

Zuckerberg specifically took a shot at Apple's iMessage chat service, which competes with Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger offerings. The Apple service is preinstalled on all iPhones and is preferred there, he criticized. He also attacked Apple's stance on data privacy. Thanks to full encryption, chat content on WhatsApp is basically only available to the parties involved in plain text, the Facebook boss stressed. But Apple, he said, stores iMessage backups without end-to-end encryption on its servers by default unless people turn off the iCloud service. "Apple and governments have the ability to get access to most people's messages," Zuckerberg said.

WhatsApp recently struggled with an exodus of users after new privacy rules were published. They feared that more data would be shared with Facebook. Facebook stressed that the changes would only apply to communications between companies and their customers on WhatsApp. Zuckerberg now tried again to "clear up confusion": "This update does not change the privacy of chats with friends and family," he said. "All of these messages have end-to-end encryption, which means we can't see or hear what's being said. And we never will." (SDA)

Global CO2 emissions are rising continuously - and Internet use is also contributing more and more to this. Streaming services, cloud applications and video conferencing are also being used more and more, writes the TV streaming provider in a statement. Even though many data centers are already operated in an energy-efficient manner, there are still plenty of CO2 emissions from ongoing operations, it continues.

According to Zattoo, the TV streaming provider streams over 80 million hours of TV content per month. More than five million gigabytes of data are exchanged between users and the data center every day. This consumes around one million kilowatt hours of electricity per year at Zattoo alone, the production of which generally generates CO2. The company is therefore already working on a solution.

With the Windcores project from WestfalenWind in Paderborn, Zattoo plans to operate its own data center directly in a wind turbine in the future. After a test phase, the first content of the TV streaming provider has been running via this data center since Thursday. This means that Zattoo is not only using green electricity from wind energy to distribute TV content, but is also placing its own data center directly in the wind turbine - where the electricity is generated.

The TV streaming provider plans to run more and more content via the data center in the wind turbine. If the expectations for the project are fulfilled, the company plans to make the wind turbine the main location for its own data center in the future, it adds.

Whether Facebook or Instagram, WhatsApp or YouTube: Social media is no longer just a place to exchange information and opinions. Social media channels now also offer their users the opportunity to shop - and do so successfully. The pandemic has further increased the acceptance of shopping channels: one in ten people have become social shoppers during the coronavirus crisis.

Discounted prices, trusted brands and individual offers

When asked what motivates or would motivate internet users to shop via social media channels, a quarter of respondents mentioned a reduced price. However, the cost-driven motivation decreases with increasing age. The older the online users, the less decisive the discount. While around a third of 18- to 24-year-olds (39%), 25- to 34-year-olds (34%) and 35- to 44-year-olds (31%) cite the discounted price as the top motivation for making a purchase via social media channels, only 23% of 45- to 54-year-olds and just under a fifth of older people (19%) still do so.

The second factor that convinces users is brands: just under a fifth of respondents (18%) state that trustworthy brands motivate them to shop via a social media platform. In third place is the statement that offers on Facebook, Instagram and co. are interesting because they are tailored to their own interests (17%). In fourth and fifth place are the reasons that ordering is uncomplicated (16%) and that very good reviews from other users (14%) inspired them to do so.

Students and large households are bargain hunters

The study clearly shows that students are bargain hunters. 41 percent of university students are tempted by a discount, so they shop via social media. In addition, discounted prices tempt large households to store: The larger the household, the more frequently a discount is cited as the reason for shopping via Facebook & Co. While only around a quarter of respondents from small households (up to three people) cite the discount as a reason for shopping, this figure is already a third for four-person households and as high as 40 percent for households with five or more people. Interest in discounts is particularly high among households with three children (45%).

One in three high earners (33%) with a net household income of 5,000 to 10,000 euros is also motivated to buy by a discount.

What young users appreciate

Strong brands score equally well with men and women: Just under a fifth (18%) of respondents state that a trustworthy brand motivates them to make a purchase via a social media platform. Young users are particularly brand-conscious: 29% of 18 to 24-year-olds show a willingness to buy from brands, compared to 22% of 25 to 34-year-olds. Internet users who are still in education (24%) or studying (34%) are also more likely than average to be motivated by strong brands to make purchases via social media.

The younger the user, the more likely they are to shop or would shop via a social media channel because the offers here are tailored precisely to their own interests. While this is important to 17% of Germans on average, it is important to 25% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 23% of 25 to 34-year-olds. Here too, trainees (29%) and students (26%) stand out with a particularly high propensity to consume.

According to the study by Greven Medien, the recommendation of likeable influencers and celebrities generally hardly motivates users to use social media channels as a shopping platform. This only applies to four percent of respondents. However, influencers and celebrities play a much more important role in younger target groups: 11% of 18 to 34-year-olds state that they follow such recommendations.

Limited offers via social media interest high earners

When companies create a limited offer that is only available via social media, this only activates seven percent of Germans to make a purchase. However, this is of above-average interest to one in ten high earners with a net household income of 5,000 euros or more. It may therefore be worthwhile for companies with high-priced products to test the sales channel via their social media platforms with limited offers.

Tip for local entrepreneurs: seize digital opportunities  

"Our latest survey on social commerce shows the potential that social media platforms also have as a sales channel for small and medium-sized companies. I advise every entrepreneur to review their marketing strategy and test new sales channels such as social media channels. It is not only during the corona crisis that targeted digital marketing will have a positive impact on business development," says Patrick Hünemohr, Managing Director of Greven Medien. "As consumers even want to support local retailers, companies should make it as easy as possible for them to do so and create suitable digital offers."