Ebikon gears up for Mall of Switzerland

With 46,000 square meters, the Mall of Switzerland will be the largest shopping center in central Switzerland and will influence consumer behavior in Ebikon and the surrounding communities. A household survey in the Rontal communities on consumer behavior was designed to find out how shopping behavior will change. "The goal of the survey was to gain insights into how households currently meet their needs in order to identify and initiate measures," says Daniel Gasser, community president of Ebikon. "On the one hand, it's about securing the local centers for supply and, on the other hand, also strengthening them as places of identification."

The study shows that the greatest changes in market shares will occur in Ebikon. At the moment, Ebikon benefits in the retail trade from the influx of purchasing power from the smaller and less well-supplied neighboring communities. This function as a regional center is likely to be lost with the opening of the mall. The fast-travel cantonal road through the middle of Ebikon reinforces the shift towards the mall.

"Until now, the market shares in the Rontal have changed slowly. With the start of operations of the Mall of Switzerland in 2017, this is likely to change in the short term," says Dr. Hans Naef, author of the study by Gesellschaft für Standortanalysen und Planungen (GSP) AG. The survey shows that the goods for daily needs are purchased in the residential communities. Ebikon functions as a regional supply center; rather rarely is shopping done in the city of Lucerne. "In this situation, with the rather weak position of the city of Lucerne and the already high acceptance for shopping centers, the Mall of Switzerland has a good chance of attracting market share," Naef continued. Now the municipality of Ebikon and the Rontal trade association want to examine whether and how the Ebikon center should be strengthened. (ah)