2023 - 2027
Preserving village shops through innovation
Impact
The project helps to make village shops in remote regions economically viable, thereby strengthening local supply, regional value creation and social cohesion. Initial experiences in Vignogn and Salouf show a positive trend and confirm the potential of the 24/7 model for other mountain villages. At the same time, regional products, short transport routes and transparent origin labelling promote sustainability.
Story
The shop that never closes
It’s 7 pm. Vignogn has grown quiet. The nearest shops are between three and ten kilometres down the valley. Stefan – who doesn’t want his real name to appear online – holds his card up to the reader outside ‘la stizun’ – the door opens. There’s no shop assistant, yet everything is there: wild herb Camembert from the local cheesemaker, tomatoes from the local permaculture garden, a wide selection of fresh bread and plenty of sustainable products.
Stefan moved to Vignogn a year ago. He was surprised to find such a shop here, in the middle of this mountain village: ‘The basic ingredients are always available, and I’m constantly discovering new specialities. And, like all the customers here, I get to help shape the range.’
Stefan isn’t alone in this. Many customers appreciate the shop and what it has to offer. “The shop is very pretty and well-stocked; the range is amazing. It’s the very first 24-hour shop where I can say: ‘I’ll definitely shop here again’,” writes one customer in the feedback questionnaire available in the shop.
But Stefan doesn’t just come here to shop. “I like to use the bistro to catch up with friends.” As such, ‘la stizun’ has long been more than just a shop: it has become a meeting place and brings life to the village.
The regional focus is particularly important to Stefan. A large proportion of the range comes from the local area. “I appreciate knowing where the products come from.” Especially when he’s entertaining guests himself, he likes to use regional produce and recommend it to others.
His wish for the future is therefore clear: “That many more people will appreciate regional produce, support the producers – and discover shop concepts like this for themselves.”
Because “la stizun” shows that a village can still be well catered for even if the nearest shop is several kilometres away – round the clock, with regional produce and a meeting place that’s part of the village.
Images © la stizun
Description
In mountainous regions, traditional village shops are coming under increasing pressure due to demographic change, rising mobility and competition from large retailers and online shopping.
The ‘la stizun’ project is developing digital systems, refurbishments and a trust service to create a financially viable 24/7 village shop model that maintains local essential services and serves as a social hub in the village. The starting point is the flagship store in Vignogn, Graubünden, which opened in 2023.
Partner
Approach
‘la stizun’ combines technology, self-service and regional products. The experience gained in Vignogn is being used to develop a transferable concept for further village shops. Together with partners, practical systems, processes and services are being continuously refined. The second site in Salouf, due to open at the end of 2025, serves as an important practical test of the model’s transferability. The concept and name remain the same; only the term has been adapted to the local dialect: ‘la stizun’ (Sursilvan) has become ‘la buteia’ (Surmiran) – in both cases simply meaning ‘the shop’.
Vision
To secure basic services and social cohesion in peripheral regions in the long term, fostering strong and vibrant villages in Switzerland’s mountain regions.