Traditional brand Stewi gives up business
Every Swiss person knows it—the «Wäschespinne» from Stewi. But the long-standing Winterthur-based company—and with it, its iconic product—will likely soon be a thing of the past. After 77 years, Stewi will cease production of its products on September 30, 2023, and dissolve by the end of the year.
Efforts to transfer Stewi in its current form to new hands, which have been ongoing for some time, have unfortunately failed, according to a statement on Thursday. As has been known since last year, the company headquarters would have had to make way for a new building anyway, while the Stewi building in Winterthur's Grüze district is being demolished.
Now, "for health and age reasons", the owners no longer felt able to continue the company at a new location. The former family business Stewi had been sold to the two new owners Lorenz Fäh and Stephan Ebnöther in 2017. The two marketing specialists planned to bring the traditional company back to its old heights.
However, price pressure from all sides, accompanied by the aftermath of the Corona pandemic, has now "significantly influenced" the decision to close the business, the statement continues.
Hope dies last
However, there is still a glimmer of hope for the company's cult product, the "rotary dryer": Stewi is currently in talks with potential buyers who want to take over elements of the company and keep the well-known name alive.
Until the end of 2023, Stewi will continue to serve its customers through the familiar sales channels and directly at its headquarters in Winterthur, according to the statement. A final furnishings and remnants sale will then take place in the fall after production has ceased. (SDA)
