Low sales Zurich shoe store closes branch after 88 years
The traditional company Walder is closing its branch in Stäfa ZH after almost nine decades. The reasons: low sales, an impending retirement - and a high density of branches around Lake Zurich.
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- The Walder shoe store is closing its branch in Stäfa - it will remain open until July.
- Managing Director Daniel Walder cites economic pressure and store competition as the reasons.
- The chain's online business is growing rapidly and increased by 50 percent in 2023.
After almost 90 years, it's the end: the Walder shoe store is closing its branch on Bahnhofwiese in Stäfa. The traditional family business is thus withdrawing from one of its oldest locations. Managing Director Daniel Walder told the "Zürichsee-Zeitung " newspaper that the reasons for this were low sales, an impending retirement and the close presence around Lake Zurich.
The branch in Stäfa was one of the company's smaller branches with an annual turnover of less than half a million francs. Walder also operates seven other branches on Lake Zurich, including in Meilen, Küsnacht, Thalwil, Wädenswil, Pfäffikon and Rapperswil. "We have partly cannibalized ourselves," says Walder.
The impending retirement of the long-standing store manager was ultimately the reason to review the economic situation of the location once again - with the result: no further operation beyond the summer. The store is to remain open until the end of July at the latest.
Online growing - store network under observation
Despite this closure, Walder speaks of "stable sales" throughout the company. Brick-and-mortar sales remain at the previous year's level - but online sales are developing dynamically: since the launch of its own web store in 2023, digital sales have increased by 50 percent and now account for 6 percent of total sales.
Schuhhaus Walder can look back on a long history: founded in 1874, a "shoe factory for homeless boys" in Brüttisellen developed into a modern retail company with 28 stores and 220 employees today. Production was discontinued in 1971, and since then Walder has concentrated on sales - today increasingly digitally.
Daniel Walder does not rule out further adjustments to the branch network. "These are not easy times for specialist retailers," he continued to the "Zürichsee-Zeitung". It is therefore not impossible that Stäfa will not be the last location to fall victim to structural change.