The smallest department store in Switzerland is closing. After five generations and over 140 years of existence, the Schubiger family is giving up for economic reasons. According to figures from the market research institute CRIF, almost 32,000 shops disappeared in Switzerland between 2009 and 2019, despite population growth. The coronavirus pandemic drove even more customers away from bricks-and-mortar stores and towards online retail, exacerbating the situation. One of these is the Schubiger department store in Glarus. The big sale is now over. Where a few days ago regular customers and bargain hunters were still browsing the shelves, the mood is now one of gloomy farewells. Shelves lie dismantled on the floor, leftover goods are packed in sacks and boxes. Hans Schubiger, the fifth generation of the family to run the department store in Näfels, is standing in the middle of it all, removing panels from the wall with a cordless screwdriver. ‘It just makes me cry’ Closing the family ...
