{"id":110707,"date":"2026-08-01T07:59:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T07:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/110707\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T07:59:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T07:59:27","slug":"swiss-supermarkets-leading-a-nations-fitness-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/110707\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss Supermarkets Leading a Nation’s Fitness Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Switzerland has long been an exporter of health and wellness, from restorative spa breaks in the mountains to Birchermuesli, a wholesome breakfast based on a recipe created by Swiss doctor and nutritionist Maximilian Bircher-Benner. It\u2019s a country that enjoys a remarkably high quality of life thanks not only to its wealth but also its unique attitude towards wellbeing.<\/p>\n

With its diverse landscapes providing a veritable playground of opportunities, Switzerland ranks among the most active countries in Europe; roughly 44 per cent of the population exercises several times each week. According to a recent report by Baspo, the Swiss National Office for Sport, there are more than 20,000 official sports clubs in Switzerland, giving the Swiss ample choice, from playing ice hockey to twirling gymnastic ribbons.<\/p>\n

Of Switzerland\u2019s eight million residents, more than two million are active members of a sports club, which might suggest that the commercial fitness industry is redundant. But studios, gyms and private fitness centres are experiencing a boom, driven by an increasing appetite for health and wellbeing \u2013 and a decreasing amount of free time. Changes in work-life balance mean that the Swiss are now spending an average of 41 hours per week at their desks so gyms \u2013 with their flexible opening hours, childcare and high-intensity classes \u2013 make fitting a quick workout into a busy schedule much easier.<\/p>\n

In a rather unexpected twist Migros, Switzerland\u2019s leading supermarket chain, is also the country\u2019s top fitness provider, with nearly 200,000 members and a 20 per cent share of the market. While tomatoes and treadmills don\u2019t appear to be natural bedfellows, Migros is successfully tempting the Swiss with both. \u201cWhen it comes to Switzerland, exercise has always been important,\u201d says Marcus Schwedhelm, head of leisure coordination at the Migros Group, who has watched with interest as the industry expands. \u201cThe Swiss fitness market has grown quickly in recent years, partly because everyone is very busy but also because health is considered to be a precious commodity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Migros has championed national health since its earliest days as a supermarket, making a conscious decision not to sell alcohol or tobacco in its core \u201cM-supermarkets\u201d. Its first foray into wellness came in 1977 with the opening of a fitness centre in Lucerne and today the Migros Group has more than 90 fitness facilities nationally. The group launched 10 new locations in 2016 and has six more openings planned for 2017.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorUpdate Fitness in Gossau<\/p>\n

\"GroupTraining session at Balboa Bar & Gym Schanzengraben <\/p>\n

\"ManGetting fit at Migros Fitnesspark Puls 5<\/p>\n

\"ModernPuls 5\u2019s beautiful Kneipp walk <\/p>\n

\"MarcusMarcus Schwedhelm, head of leisure coordination at the Migros Group<\/p>\n

\"CopperSoap by Soeder is made especially for Balboa<\/p>\n

\"ModernCosy bar above Balboa <\/p>\n

\"SpirallingSpiralling black steel stairs lead to the Balboa gym<\/p>\n

\"ThreeFrom l-r: Erich Z\u00fcger, Timo Klein and Paco Savio, co-founders of Balboa<\/p>\n

\"RunningRunning club crossing the M\u00fcnsterbr\u00fccke in Z\u00fcrich <\/p>\n

\"ManStaying fit is taken seriously in Switzerland <\/p>\n

\"ManUpdate Fitness, one of the leading fitness chains in eastern Switzerland<\/p>\n

\"WomanTaking a break at Balbao Bar & Gym<\/p>\n

\"FourWaiting for a training session <\/p>\n

\"MultipleTop-of-the-range machines at Migros Fitnesspark Puls <\/p>\n

Migros\u2019 main competitor in the national supermarket industry is Coop. Following Coop\u2019s 2016 acquisition of a 51 per cent stake in Update Fitness, one of the leading fitness chains in eastern Switzerland, the two businesses are now going head to head in the more lucrative fitness industry as well. The deal with Update Fitness has given Coop a considerable foothold in the market, bringing 22,000 members and 24 existing locations under its umbrella.<\/p>\n

One of these locations is a former rubber-band factory in Gossau. With a vast rippling roof and curved windows carefully placed so that no direct sunlight ever disrupts those inside, it is one of Update Fitness\u2019s most impressive sites. While giving Monocle a tour, CEO Michael Ammann says that the chain opened six new locations in 2016 and has three more confirmed for 2017. The business has seen steady growth for the past 10 years and now hopes to further strengthen its position with its own range of supplements, drinks and protein snacks produced in Switzerland and Germany.<\/p>\n

Rather than simply signalling the start of a heavyweight tussle for supremacy, Coop\u2019s decision to enter the industry highlights the opportunities still available in the Swiss market. And it\u2019s a trend that\u2019s visible across the continent too. According to Deloitte the European health-and-fitness market is now the world\u2019s largest, having outstripped the US, and is worth a colossal \u20ac26.7bn. It\u2019s also growing at a fair clip: close to 5 per cent year on year in 2015. Meanwhile the number of mergers and acquisitions that year (19) was more than double the figure in 2013, an indicator of the keen interest investors are taking.<\/p>\n

Despite the opportunities, there are only a few other economies outside of Switzerland where supermarket companies have joined the spree. The UK \u2013 in revenue terms Europe\u2019s biggest fitness market \u2013 is one exception. Supermarket chain Tesco signed a deal in 2013 with gym brand Xercise4Less, with the former subletting space in some of its bigger stores to the fitness provider. But the Swiss model could be successfully copied elsewhere as supermarkets across the continent look to reduce floor space and turn their outlets into destinations in their own right. Seen in this wider European context, the Swiss retailers are way ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n

Back in Z\u00fcrich, Migros\u2019s Schwedhelm describes how his industry has changed. \u201cSwitzerland used to be a market of independent studios but the chains are now growing and professionalising the market. You don\u2019t see a cut-throat approach though \u2013 there is room for everyone at the moment.\u201d As the market continues to bubble away, however, levels of competition will inevitably rise and independent providers will have to fight for members, revenue and \u2013 in some cases \u2013 survival.<\/p>\n

One example they should look to follow is Balboa Bar & Gym in Z\u00fcrich. It\u2019s the city\u2019s most talked-about fitness provider and was founded by Paco Savio, Erich Z\u00fcger and Timo Klein. It started in a garage in the city\u2019s industrial quarter, holding classes for just a handful of early adopters. The Balboa \u201cmovement\u201d, as the founders describe it, grew organically over several years and, following an underground pop-up stint, they moved into their current premises in a former Credit Suisse canteen in the heart of the city\u2019s financial centre in 2016.<\/p>\n

Keen to break the mould of conventional fitness spaces, Balboa puts its trainers at the centre of the experience, with a range of classes \u2013 from low-intensity to so-called \u201cwarrior\u201d options \u2013 designed around the strengths of each trainer and with the needs of their urban clientele in mind. With no compulsory membership, Balboa has a pay-as-you-go approach. \u201cWe want people to come here because they want to, not because they have signed a contract,\u201d says Savio. It is looking to grow its model and workout concept in Switzerland, with a third location opening soon in Z\u00fcrich\u2019s Viaduktstrasse \u2013 and eventually abroad.<\/p>\n

Designed by architecture practice Helsinki-Zurich, Balboa Bar & Gym feels more like a boutique hotel than a gym, with its bustling ground-floor social space, concept lighting and bespoke soap created in collaboration with design collective Soeder. The crowd is diverse, friendly and driven, whether here to exercise or enjoy a juice or salad made by Roots, Balboa\u2019s food partner; the slickly attired running club discusses the day\u2019s route by the bar, while a photographer takes portraits next to the wall of glass overlooking one of Z\u00fcrich\u2019s waterways. \u201cIt\u2019s about people interacting,\u201d says Savio. \u201cIt isn\u2019t just about going to the gym, which can be boring. We wanted to create an experience that was different, fun and also a little provocative.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Balboa is anything to go by then the increased demand for top-quality gyms in Switzerland is going to lead to better designed and more bespoke facilities for the nation\u2019s fitness fiends. But what\u2019s happening here should also be seen as a microcosm for what\u2019s to be witnessed across Europe, as busier and more health-conscious lifestyles fuel rapid expansion in the fitness industry. At the same time, large-scale retailers should be keeping an eye on their Swiss counterparts. By tapping into this booming industry early, Migros and Coop have set a smart precedent for Europe\u2019s top supermarket chains. With plenty of them searching for new ways to boost profits and make the most of free space, expect to see more of them following suit in the years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Switzerland has long been an exporter of health and wellness, from restorative spa breaks in the mountains to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[54043,52931,1002,38907,41,17],"class_list":["post-110707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-coop","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-migros","tag-swiss","tag-switzerland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/117019198531069866","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}