"Sometimes you have to make a statement"
In an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag, Coop President Hansueli Loosli explains why the magazines were removed from the shelves—and why that isn't the case with Nivea & Co.
A week ago, Coop announced that some magazine titles - including Der Spiegel, Gala, Vogue and Micky Maus - would be removed from its range (Werbewoche.ch reported). The reason: German publishers act as "exchange rate profiteers" and do not pass on the exchange rate gains to Swiss customers.
In contrast to other overpriced articles, the magazine issue is purely about passing on the euro advantage, Loosli explains in the interview. It is not acceptable that customers are not granted at least this price reduction. The discontinuation of the magazines was the last resort, a radical measure that those responsible had considered carefully. Sometimes you have to set an example, says Loosli.
However, overpriced items such as Nivea products, which are sometimes cheaper for German end customers than for Swiss retailers, remain in the range. The majority of customers who do not shop abroad would otherwise accuse Coop of punishing them. However, they continue to fight to ensure that prices level out over time. Differences of 15 to 20 percent would be accepted if Swiss branches had higher costs, but 50 percent would not. (hae/NZZaS)
Image: Swisscom.ch
