In many villages small shops are rapidly disappearing, but not in Saanenmöser. “We are expanding”, emphasizes Andrea Sprenger, president of the Saanenmöser village shop cooperative.

The idea to expand became concrete when the Saanenmöser branch of Frautschi Sport right next to the existing village shop decided to close down. “We learned about this in March 2017 and immediately started negotiations to take over the premises that will allow us to become the new long-term tenants,” says Sprenger.

Twice as big – with a bistro corner, post office and tourist information
At 140m2, the new site is twice as large as the previous village shop. Although the shop’s range will not change much, it will offer several new services. “We will continue to   offer daily necessities – from trouser buttons to fresh bread – as well as the kiosk assortment”. After two years of negotiations with GST, the cooperative reached an agreement that will allow the shopkeepers to provide local tourist information, sell the Gstaad Card and issue ski passes. In addition to tourist office services, Swiss Post services will also be integrated into the village shop. “The idea of bundling services in our small village has existed for a long time,” explains Andrea Sprenger as she emphasizes that the icing on the cake will be the bistro corner. “We will have small snacks on offer, sandwiches, salad, Birchermüesli, and pastries. We do not want to compete with other restaurants, we see our offering as complimentary to what is already on offer in other establishments.”

Convenient opening hours
The Saanenmöser village shop will be open seven days a week, all year round, and will continue to be run by a main salesperson and three part-time employees. “For both Swiss Post and GST services, the longer opening hours are a benefit and particularly attractive,” says Sprenger. Negotiations between the GST, the post office, and the municipality of Saanen are currently underway to ensure timely mail delivery to the new postal facility. Sprenger is also optimistic about bringing an ATM back to Saanenmöser, a service that has not been available in the village for years and would undoubtedly be hugely popular with local residents and tourists alike.

Looking for capital
“Saanenmöser has a village shop again”, headlined the “Anzeiger von Saanen” in December 2003, when the project initiated by Andrea Sprenger, Elisabeth von Siebenthal and Walter Hehlen came to fruition. By supporting the project back then, locals, chalet guests and apartment owners stood up for the independence of the village and fought against a creeping reduction of the infrastructure.

That has not changed today, 15 years later. “We are looking for capital,” says Andrea Sprenger. The renovation of the new premises will cost around CHF 100,000. “A nice amount has already been raised,” says Sprenger. “The people are supportive, they are happy, they think it's a great thing, and they want to support the project.”

The Saanenmöser village shop is open from April to December from Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 12:30 and from 15:00 to 18:30, from 7:30 to 17:00 on Saturday, and from 8:00 to 12:00 on Sunday. In winter, the shop is open continuously.

Anne Christine Kempton / AvS