Nearly a third of Christmas gifts in Switzerland were ordered online, causing concern among traders. This year, the Lausanne authorities have invested several hundred thousand francs to encourage the population to shop in the city.
According to a study of the Swiss Retail Federation, 37% of the gifts that will be offered this end of year in Switzerland come from online sales. Although this figure has not increased over the last three years, Claude Boggia, member of the Lausanne traders’ collective “Stop! We’re fed up”, remains worried.
“For a retailer, you don’t just need people for one month of the year. You need them for twelve months of the year,” he maintains. In his opinion, the heart of the problem is linked to the poor accessibility of businesses by car.
In response to these concerns, the City of Lausanne led an offensive raising nearly half a million francs during the month of December. In response to the discontent of traders, it offered free public transport and park and ride facilities for three Saturdays.
>> More details in our article: Free public transport in Lausanne every Saturday until Christmas to energize the city center
Businesses in decline
According to figures revealed Friday in Timethe Vaud capital has lost 11% of its businesses since 2011, while the average drop is 4% for the canton.
“We must act on several points, such as promotion, accessibility, but also by taking measures to support events, various actions that can be carried out by the traders themselves,” judges Grégoire Junod, trustee of Lausanne.
Although a constructive dialogue seems to have taken place in recent months between the umbrella of traders and the authorities, obtaining favors always constitutes a struggle of interests.
“We are not naive: the municipal elections take place next year. However, you should know that these are months of work and discussion to reach a compromise and manage to obtain free P+R exchange parking or free Saturdays in the month of December,” indicates Anne-Lise Noz, president of the Lausanne Traders Cooperative Society.
TV topic: cp
Web adaptation: Raphaël Dubois
