He was 93 years old Long-time Migros boss Jules Kyburz is dead
Jules Kyburz wrote Migros history for decades. Now the man from Aargau has died at the age of 93.
24.12.2025, 11:58
24.12.2025, 12:00
SDA
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- Former Migros boss Jules Kyburz has died at the age of 93.
- Kyburz shaped Migros for decades in leading positions.
- Even after his retirement, he remained closely associated with Migros, was considered a committed cooperative member and was involved as Chairman of the SBB Board of Directors, among other things.
Former Migros boss Jules Kyburz died on Sunday at the age of 93. Even after his time at the helm of Migros, the man from Aargau was regarded as a critical yet benevolent observer of the company's development.
The Federation of Migros Cooperatives (FMC) confirmed Kyburz's death on Wednesday. A well-informed source had previously informed the Keystone-SDA news agency. "It is with great sadness that we bid him farewell," wrote Migros. The company's deepest sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.
Kyburz had made Migros history for many years. He served as Managing Director of Migros Bern Aare from 1971 to 1984, then as Chairman of the FMC Executive Board until 1991. He was Chairman of the Migros Board of Directors from 1992 to 2000 and Chairman of the Gottlieb and Adele Duttweiler Foundation from 2005 to 2012.
Even as a teenager, Kyburz was enthusiastic about Gottlieb Duttweiler's ideas, Migros continued. As a storekeeper at the Migros branch in Wetzikon ZH, Jules Kyburz helped unload trucks and stock shelves at the start of his career. At the age of 21, he then became the youngest store manager in Switzerland in Basel.
A passionate cooperative member
Kyburz's time at the head of Migros was characterized by rapid expansion. Group sales and the number of employees doubled during this time. The number of Migros stores also rose from 470 to 549 between 1984 and 1991.
"Migros would never have become so big as an AG," said Jules Kyburz in an interview with "Migros-Magazin" in 2012. He was convinced that Migros, as a cooperative, was rooted in the population and could only have become the largest employer in Switzerland because of this.
Even after his retirement, Kyburz remained an important reference person for many former employees and customers, as Migros wrote. "He was a vigilant, critical and at the same time benevolent observer of Migros' development."
Kyburz was born on February 21, 1932 in Oberentfelden AG. In 1991, Kyburz was elected to the SBB Board of Directors by the Federal Council. He chaired it from 1993 to 1997.
