Amazon pushes into the Swiss online grocery business
The American Internet mail order company Amazon wants to enter the online grocery business in Switzerland. This is reported by the Handelszeitung.
According to industry insiders, Amazon is planning to offer its Pantry online food service in Germany. Amazon Pantry has been promoting itself as a "pantry in a box" in Germany and Austria since 2015 and aims to make weekly shopping at the wholesaler obsolete. Amazon did not want to comment on the topic.
Amazon recently hired a former Aldi Suisse top manager for its Pantry service: Patrick Lobsiger has headed the Pantry division for Germany, Austria and Switzerland at Amazon in Munich since the end of 2016. Previously, the retail manager drove the expansion of Aldi Switzerland and held a senior sales position.
Industry insiders are expecting Amazon Pantry to enter the market here soon: "Amazon will launch its own offering in Switzerland in a few months," says one insider, according to Handeslzeitung. He expects this offering to massively shake up the e-commerce landscape here. Coop and Migros declined to comment on whether they would supply the US giant in the event of a possible Pantry launch in Switzerland.
Since 2015, Amazon Pantry has been offering a wide range of long-life foods over the Internet in Germany and Austria, which are delivered in a storage box and with flat-rate shipping costs. Swiss food producers such as Lindt, Ricola and the Coop subsidiary Halba also use the Pantry distribution channel in various countries.
