Interstore | Schweitzer has created and implemented the new 2000 m² BRIDGE market Flexstore™ concept in Zurich for the largest Swiss retail company, Migros.

BRIDGE market has been conceived as the connector between a diverse fresh food market, creative catering with products from local partners and a wide range of events. Located in a strategic hub easily reached by train, BRIDGE attracts both travellers as well as local foodies wanting to make sustainable purchases at the new food Mecca & discover a continuously changing offer of regional flavours.

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With this initiative, Migros remains faithful to its principles, which are based on the mission of using its own resources to give partners a platform and to build bridges together to reach consumers. With BRIDGE, Migros Zürich is opening a market for the first time with a unique name, and at the same time has created a lasting monument for the founder of Migros, Gottlieb Duttweiler, who considers himself a bridge builder.

The entire 2,000 m² are distributed on two levels, representing a meeting point for food culture that invites you to shop, enjoy and linger. The BRIDGE market concept skilful balances the offering into a varied combination of fresh-food areas, catering and dry goods. The food experience has been wrapped into an iconic space arrangement, featuring an eye-catching floating bridge that connects the main levels at the centre. 

The outstanding innovation of the store concept is the adoption of Flexstore™, a unique food store construction principle invented by Interstore | Schweitzer, presented at EuroShop 2020 in its updated version. For BRIDGE, apart from the permanent cooking stations, all other furnishing elements are 100% flexible. The Flexstore™ offers retailers the opportunity to adapt the store layout as required and to quickly change modules in a cost-effective manner. This is suitable for pop-ups, seasonal events as well as temporary leasing to external catering companies and producers.

The upper floor contains the Food Lab, a room with flexible cooking modules that can be rented for private functions or company events, with or without a chef, and where cooking classes can be held. There is also a mobile stage where, in the near future, concerts and movie nights will take place.

Moments of theatre are also provided by the in-house bistro, where new chefs pick up their spoons to regularly create novel theme-based items. A street artist personalises the branding based on the theme and their respective style. 

Another innovation is the sustainable approach to the store implementation. Only FSC certified materials were used for the completion of the interior of the market. Furthermore, all permanently installed furniture has passed the tests required in Switzerland for the fulfilment of SGNI (Swiss Sustainable Building Council) standards. 

Bernhard Schweitzer, CEO and owner of Interstore | Schweitzer confirms: “Another decisive advantage of the “Flexstore™” is the durability of the flexible furnishings, which are renewed every 8-10 years and can be endlessly re-utilised throughout its lifecycle. This saves time, costs and valuable resources.”

The topics of sustainability & regionality play out through the special selection of the  Swiss partner brands, resulting in an overall offer that originates 100% from Swiss farming or production. These include sustainably produced coffee from ViCafe, hand-made soap from Circle Soaps, vegan deserts from Lola’s Vegan Kitchen and bread from Baguettekönig Seri. Also the private brands managed by Bridge, such as the Marktgrill, Bistro and Bridge Bar are seamlessly integrated into the overall concept, and offer comfortable seating areas, which invite you to enjoy their items on site.

The space planning, store design, in-store communication, packaging, employee apparel as well as the development of the corporate design, including the logo and cooperation in the naming of the company were the main components of the store concept created by Interstore | Schweitzer. 

Inspired by street art elements & lending to the market urban feel, the entire branding & store design concept was developed by the Interstore teams in Zurich & Dusseldorf, including space planning, in-store communication, packaging, employee apparel as well as the development of the corporate design & logo & naming.

With the conceptual design and implementation of BRIDGE, Interstore | Schweitzer has set a milestone in the history of the Migros brand and has enriched Zurich’s food retail scene with an extraordinary jewel.