Want to buy a bottle of wine in Migros? You may be waiting a long time. The international company has just finished counting votes in its own referendum on whether it should sell alcohol in its large supermarkets, and results reveal that all 10 of the store's cooperatives voted against the idea.
Over the last few weeks, Migros, one of the largest supermarkets in Switzerland, has been holding a referendum on whether its supermarkets, restaurants and take-aways should sell alcohol. While the company does sell beer and wine at its sister companies Denner and Migrolino, the prohibition on alcoholic drinks has remained in place in its larger stores.
The policy is part of the “responsible philosophy” created by Migros founder Gottlieb Duttweiler in 1928, which also banned the sale of cigarettes and created the cooperative system the company uses today. However, in recent years, the idea of allowing the sale of alcohol has gained some popular support, culminating in Migros approving the referendum in 2021.
After months of campaigning and voting, the results have now been revealed. All 10 of Migros’ cooperatives have rejected the plan, with no Swiss canton or city achieving the two-thirds majority required to make the change happen. Overall, only 25,6 percent of cooperative members were in favour of the change, with 74,3 percent of voters against it.
The city of Zurich was most opposed to the change, with 80 percent of voters saying “non.” The biggest support for the change was in Canton Ticino, but the "oui" campaign still did not gain a majority with just 44,7 percent of the vote.
In response, Migros Cooperative president Ursula Nold said “the result is not surprising because all surveys pointed to a clear no." She said that, while there won't be any alcoholic drinks available anytime soon, the company will be launching a new non-alcoholic beer called “non” - to celebrate the democratic decision of its workers and members.