Retail: Tough first half-year for bricks-and-mortar retail

The Swiss retail sector suffered a decline in sales of 1.9% in the first half of 2025. With a drop of 2.2%, the bricks-and-mortar business recorded a particularly negative result. These figures were calculated by the Swiss Retail Federation based on debit and credit card transactions. According to the Federation, shopping tourism is picking up again. Above all, however, political and economic uncertainties, particularly due to armed conflicts and geopolitical trade disputes, had a negative impact on consumer sentiment and thus on domestic demand.

The first quarter (-3.4%) was particularly unsatisfactory for bricks-and-mortar retailers. The biggest problem children were the "leisure/hobby/toys", "clothing and shoes" and "watches and jewelry" segments, while food retail once again had a stabilizing effect with a slight increase of +1.4%. Swiss online retail, on the other hand, closed the year slightly positive with expected growth of +0.8%. "The situation is thus consolidating after Swiss online retail came under heavy pressure in 2024 due to the rapid development of Chinese online marketplaces such as Temu," says the retail association. The Swiss Retail Federation sees a "new dynamic" in shopping tourism and expects an increase of 6% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. (aw)