Migros and Coop turn the heating down to 19 degrees

The Swiss retail giants Migros and Coop want to heat less. At Migros it should only be 19 degrees warm. Coop also states that it wants to reduce the temperature in shops and offices by two degrees.

But it's not only getting cooler, it's also getting darker in the shops: the two industry leaders want to do without their Christmas lights this year. In the worst case, the food supply could also be reduced: "Instead of numerous types of bread, for example, we might only produce five types," explained a spokesman for Migros.

Migros and Coop have a market share of around 69 percent in Swiss food retailing. If you add the Migros subsidiary Denner, the figure is even 80 percent. The measures taken by the two groups of companies are in response to the appeal by the Swiss federal government to put the brakes on gas consumption as much as possible.

If voluntary does not help, coercion follows

Because Switzerland may be threatened with a gas shortage this winter, the government decided in August to take measures to increase security of supply in Switzerland. The first step is still voluntary: If possible, 15 percent should be saved in gas consumption. This first phase applies from the beginning of October 2022 to the end of March 2023. Authorities, businesses and private households should use gas more sparingly during this period.

Switzerland is reacting in a similar way to the EU, where this savings target applies from August 2022 to March 2023. However, if "voluntary saving" is not enough, the Swiss federal government could also issue bans. This could affect, among other things, patio heaters or sports and wellness areas. The indoor temperature should also only be limited to 19 degrees in the event of a shortage.