Swiss Mountain Aid - Village store in a mountain village in Uri

After the closure of the only village store, the Uri mountain village at 1800 meters above sea level is left without a local shopping facility. But the mountain people are taking action. They set up a cooperative to take over the store. The villagers joined the project in solidarity. However, the renovation of the old store and the new equipment required presented the young cooperative with its first major financial challenge. Landjäger.ch supports the project with the help of Swiss Mountain Aid.

The closure of the only village store is a heavy blow for the small village in the Uri side valley. The store was the only local shopping opportunity, and the elderly population in particular used to buy their daily necessities here. But the mountain people refused to give up. They set up a cooperative to take over the vacant store. At the same time, an operating company was founded to run the village store on a self-supporting basis in the future. Almost the entire village population supports the project and subscribes to share certificates. Supply contracts are concluded with a retail chain. As in the past, the village store will also house a postal partner branch to ensure the supply of postal services in the mountain village. Despite the solidarity of the population, financing the project, which will also create two new jobs in the village, represents a major challenge. The store has to be renovated and needs modern furnishings. Despite financial support from the municipality and a concession from the property owner, the cooperative is unable to meet the costs alone. It has therefore turned to Swiss Mountain Aid for help.