The Swiss retail landscape
Switzerland has a highly concentrated retail market:
- Migros (~30% market share): leader, own brands M-Budget, Migros
- Coop (~25%): 2nd player, Prix Garantie, Coop Naturaplan
- Discounters: Aldi Switzerland (5%), Lidl Switzerland (5%) — rising quality
- Denner (5%): discount owned by Migros
- Volg, Spar, Manor Food: smaller players
- Markets: numerous in every city, Saturday mornings
Price comparison (basket of 100 items)
Migros index = 100 (base)
- Coop: 102–105
- Manor Food: 110–115
- Volg: 105–110
- Spar: 100–103
- Denner: 88–92 (12% cheaper than Migros)
- Aldi Switzerland: 80–85 (15–20% cheaper)
- Lidl Switzerland: 80–85 (15–20% cheaper)
Budget own brands
- M-Budget (Migros): 30–50% cheaper than name brands
- Prix Garantie (Coop): equivalent to M-Budget
- Always Aldi, Lidl: highly competitive own brands
When to shop
- Wednesday, Thursday evening: weekly promos refreshed
- Friday-Saturday: heavy promos on fresh (meat, fish)
- Sunday: closed except stations, airports, tourist zones
- End of day (1h before closing): -30 to -50% on fresh products (students, tight families use it)
Saving tips
- Free loyalty cards:
- Migros Cumulus: 1% back in points
- Coop Supercard: 1% back
- Cashback apps: Coop Mein Coop, Migros app — personalised coupons
- 2-Pack / 3-Pack: stock up on stable items
- Own brands (M-Budget, Prix Garantie) instead of name brands
- Aldi, Lidl for basics (veg, meat, tinned): 20% saving
- Saturday markets for seasonal fresh: best value
- Anti-waste: Too Good to Go app sells unsold at -50 to -70%
Notable products
More expensive in Switzerland vs France
- Meat (3–5x more expensive), fish, industrial cheeses, dairy
- Medicines and parapharmacy (up to 2–3x more)
- Alcohol, tobacco (heavy tax)
- Cosmetics
Equivalent or cheaper in Switzerland
- Milk, certain local dairy
- Bread (artisan bakeries)
- Local wine
- Farmhouse dairy
Cross-border shopping (France/Italy/Germany)
See dedicated article on cross-border shopping. Allowance: CHF 300 per person per day for purchases in France/Italy/Germany (family aggregable).
Tips
- Budget monthly groceries: CHF 350–600/person as couple, CHF 250–400/person in family of 3–4
- Combine Migros/Coop (quality, freshness) + Aldi/Lidl (basics) for optimum
- Organic (Migros Bio, Naturaplan) is important in Switzerland but pricey: alternate with conventional
- Learn weekly promos: 20–30% savings possible
