La Coop opened the first Karma store at Zug train station on Tuesday, April 30, 2017.Image: KEYSTONE
Launched by Coop, the Karma stores did not take off. There was only one branch in the whole of Switzerland, at Zug station.
Martin Messmer
“The customer will decide how many Karma stores we open”. This was stated by the current Chairman of the Coop Board of Directors, Joos Sutter, in 2017, when the first store opened at Zug station. At the time, the media from all over German-speaking Switzerland covered the event. The store offers 100% vegetarian or vegan food, from its Karma range of course, but not only that – you can also find bulk products such as nuts.
Like here, for example.Image: KEYSTONE
The Karma line was launched in 2013. “It was very successful. The cherry on the cake was that we came up with a store that offered vegetarian and vegan foods for everyday needs,” Sutter explained at the opening.
Seven years after the call to customers, they seem to have responded: the Zug store alone is more than enough. There have been attempts at Letzipark in Zurich and in downtown Bern, but both ended in closures; last autumn for the Bern branch.
Sales staff no longer required to be vegetarian
This is what the job offer for recruiting employees for the first Karma brand said: “I eat vegetarian or vegan.” This had caught the attention 20 minutes at the time, and Coop intervened: “This is an error in the advertisement and we will correct it,” a spokesman told the newspaper. A strong affinity with these diets was certainly an advantage, but future employees did not have to adhere to them strictly.
“The Zug store is very popular”
So why has the retailer failed to popularise its concept across the country so far? The Coop to go format, on the other hand, has succeeded in doing so in an exemplary manner, particularly thanks to advertising. They can now be found almost everywhere in Switzerland.
“The assortment includes a large selection of exclusive take-away products, available only here”
The orange giant’s response? “We are still convinced of the usefulness of the Karma-Shop and are investigating new suitable locations. Good public transport connections play a role, as does the suitability for our target group, which is interested in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.” However, “no further stores are currently planned”. Coop does not provide detailed reasons for the implementation difficulties.
The retailer also draws positive conclusions from the branch at Zug station: “It attracts not only vegetarians and vegans, but also flexitarians who appreciate this food.” The Karma store at Zug station is indeed well attended throughout the day. “It is very popular with our customers,” confirm its managers.
Give up your seat
So why was the experience not as good in the city of Bern, where a Coop to go has replaced the Karma since October 2023?
“We want to offer our customers even more variety and have therefore decided to complement the neighbouring Coop City by offering fresh products ready to take away in a Coop to go, such as fresh sandwiches, hot snacks or salads.”
Image: KEYSTONE
The trend towards healthy eating, with little or no animal products, represents a market with great potential for Coop. Its range currently includes more than 2,200 vegetarian or vegan items, including more than 1,900 of plant-based origin, more than 100 alternatives to meat and fish and more than 50 alternatives to milk.
“Demand has been increasing steadily over the past few years. It meets a growing need. We are pleased with this development.”
In the meantime, we will have to continue to make do with the only Karma in Switzerland… in Zug. Coop recently announced that it would keep it.
(Translated and adapted by Valentine Zenker)
