"Forced" sounds a bit extreme. Maybe if Switzerland embraced the EU they would realise that such practices preventing alternative sourcing (from within EU) cannot be prevented. Obviously the manufacturers could make their life difficult, but as one of the two biggest customers how much leverage do you think you have ? Do manufacturers really want to cut off their nose to spite their face ?
AYB

I doubt they're getting nearly as much pressure from consumers as they are from shareholders so I'm going to guess if they do, it'll be a token effort.

Hmm I'm wondering if such a practice will not just give people a bigger incentive to border-hop for finding stuff they are used to (and then,since they're there, do a month's worth of groceries).
Coop's claims are understandable (although they do sound a lot like PR), but from the consumers' POV it doesn't make any sense to narrow the offer - in principle, extending it would be more advantageous. But there is obviously something un-competitive with the intermediaries, as someone pointed out, so well...let's see if anything changes now.

I guess the need to not have a contract then they are free to source the products themselves, so I expect the products will be back....maybe through the back door. (sorry Phil I couldn't resist that one)

So do we assume that the items remaining on the shelves are the ones for which the importers have agreed to lower their margins (thus subsidising COOP) or are all Swiss-made?

Interesting - my niece from los angeles loves the Kinder chocolate with the Ueberaschung inside and I send it to her occasionally. Now it won't be as accessable..

I don't know... Is it me or do we bitch that they don't bring the prices down then bitch when they try to bring the prices down?

Or they have compromised, or maybe its not time for the price negotiation

Yes. Denner tried it in 2009 by by-passing the official importer for Elmex toothpaste and parallel buying (The price Denner were paying originally was more than the retail price in Germany).

It didn't work out well for Denner and they had to back down.

Story here

Same with nexpresso type capsules.

You do know that US customs bans those kindereggs. Be careful you are not sending your neice US law enforcement.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/...inder_eggs.xml

I realized it is not direct import, but through a middle man, since the choice of all our coops/migros=denner/manor are the same, not a bit of difference in products. Even if these rules are supposed to protect domestic market, it bullies both parties at once, the final customer and the seller.

I wonder who it is supposed to serve or impress...as if limiting goods was expanding market and providing better customer care. Public announcements like these will kill the interests their customers have or the loyalty. Cash is what matters.

By the way, Elmex was sold to us as domestic product in the local pharmacy?

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Why the surprise. Since when has the Coop or anyother supermarkrt cared about the customer? If they had got the goods cheaper would the price cut have been passed on to the customer? Probably not!

Long overdue, as is the tightening/enforcing of the anti-cartel laws that lead to such inflated prices here.

I believe that the Swiss supermarkets are taking action on this now due to the large number of Swiss residents buying these products in France and Germany.

So, yes, a cost saving would be passed on to the consumer but with no cost penalty to the supermarket chain.

Whether that actually happens though remains to be seen.

Personally, I try and support local producers for meat, diary, and fruit and vegetables and like others have said, the quality is better. However, for other items, I'll go where I can get quality at a good price, or to buy items that I can't easily get here.

Honestly? I just find it infuriating that someone else decides what's good for me and my money. That they decide what is good value or not instead of give me the choice as a customer. I can't believe that Kinder eggs and Loreal shampoo don't sell in coop stores - that they are sitting on the shelves going out of date because they are too expensive. Is that really the case?

It just seems like some stupid effort to stop us having the choice of purchasing what we want. If a product doesn't sell because it's too expensive or because people don't like it then OK, take it off the shelves. But just to make an example of it makes me cross. If I want to buy expensive overpriced shit then why shouldn't I

They do that to stop parallel buying, as I stated in my post.

Denner was selling the ones for the German domestic market.

I think the point is that people aren't buying it here. And whilst they're buying these products abroad, they're also doing their other shopping at the same time.

So they have decided in their wisdom to deny the customer the products in the meantime.

Well you're hardly missing out unless you have a thing for foul tasting German kiddie chocolate, are you?