HWZ podcast on the Jelmoli exit with CEO Reto Braegger
After almost 200 years, the closure of Zurich's traditional Jelmoli store marks the end of an era. In the HWZ podcast "Stefanundstefan", the last CEO Reto Braegger talks about the challenges of the closure - from dealing with emotions to maintaining customer focus.
As the former Chief Marketing Officer, Braegger took over the management of the department store in 2023 after the owner Swiss Prime Site announced its closure. His task: to continue operations for two years until the last day of sales, support employees and ensure a dignified farewell for customers and the team. In the HWZ podcast episode from Friday - the last day of sales at Jelmoli before the final closure - HWZ lecturers and course directors Stefan Eggenberger and Stefan Vogler talk to the last Jelmoli CEO.
The balancing act between emotional impact and operational business required a fundamental mindset shift. The closure brought with it not only economic challenges, but above all human ones. The CEO and his team had to manage staff turnover, maintain motivation and at the same time keep the department store attractive for its customers - despite the fact that it was a foregone conclusion.
How Jelmoli mastered its last act and what lessons can be learned from the process is listen to the podcast episode from Friday.
