"At Siroop, the supporting proprietary business has been missing as a driver"

A dedicated online store for Coop City will continue to be a long time coming. "We will not enter the online sector with the department stores as quickly as planned because this is very complex," says Sutter. Until that time comes, the company will use the sales channels of Microspot.ch and Coop@home.

The Coop CEO describes the modernization efforts of certain competitors by means of high-tech and chatbots as "quite a bit of hype": "We wait until a really match-deciding technology becomes established and then invest."

Name secondary in online business

Sutter has no problem with Microspot.ch diluting its reputation as an electronics retailer by adding clothes to its product range, just like its competitors. In the online business, customer benefits, ease of use and speed are what count - the name is secondary, according to the Coop boss.

When asked about the mistakes made in the failed marketplace attempt Siroop, the 54-year-old cites two reasons: On the one hand, not all third parties had a handle on processes such as data quality or logistics, and on the other hand, Siroop lacked a strong motor - namely its own business. That's why the strategy was changed, but a lot of know-how was taken along.

Marketplace idea not off the table

In the first phase, the top-selling Siroop partners will be transferred to Microspot. At the same time, however, the company's own business is to be expanded and strengthened - with the focus on its own broad product range, says Sutter. "Only in a second phase will we take up the idea of the marketplace again."

So it is quite possible that Coop will attempt a second marketplace in the future with a kind of "Siroop 2". This time, Microspot as an established and functioning foundation with a strong proprietary business would presumably provide the virtual walk-in customers right from the start, which often failed to materialize at Siroop due to the unclear customer benefit. It is also conceivable that the outdated name "Microspot", which does not sound much like a marketplace with a wide range of products, would be buried. Especially since, according to Sutter, the name should be secondary in online retailing anyway.

"Jegenstorf is not Zurich"

In order for Microspot to develop as desired, know-how is needed. "Jegenstorf is not Zurich, and it is difficult to find good staff," says Sutter, referring to the new location in the canton of Bern. For this reason, the Siroop offices in Zurich have not yet been terminated: "We are keeping all options open. However, the company now has a "considerable number of Internet pioneers in its own ranks. (hae)