Conforama Switzerland has every reason to celebrate in 2026. The furniture chain looks back with pride on its 50 years in business. But Managing Director Jérôme Gilg continues to look ahead, focusing on the company’s future.
QUESTION: First of all, congratulations on 50 years of success for Conforama in Switzerland! What important milestones can the company look back on?
JÉRÔME GILG: Our strong identity as a discounter. We are THE discount retailer for furniture and electronics in Switzerland. There are always great offers at Conforama. That is our greatest strength. We opened our first stores in western Switzerland in 1976 and just one year later in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. So we were very quickly established in several regions at the same time. Thanks to that, we have been known throughout all of Switzerland for many years now – unlike other furniture chains. We still benefit from this early advantage, and it helps us to further strengthen our position. Another important milestone was, of course, becoming a fully integrated part of MW Holding in 2023. This brought us a renewed sense of stability and allows us to make long-term investments in the market.
QUESTION: And what milestones would you like to be able to look back on in ten years’ time?
JÉRÔME GILG: Since the takeover by MW Holding three years ago, we have already renovated two of our 20 branches. Our aim is to bring all our stores up to date over the next five to eight years and also to expand into new regions. At the same time, we also want to maintain a strong presence online. We really succeeded in putting together a “New Conforama”: modern, inspiring and still characterised by competitive prices.
QUESTION: Last year, in July 2025, Conforama organised a huge celebration to mark the opening of the branch in Interlaken, featuring a free concert by Luca Hänni. And at the end of the year, you opened a pop-up store right in the heart of Zurich’s city centre. How can this year’s anniversary events top that?
JÉRÔME GILG: With the reopening of our stores in Emmen and Meyrin of course, where we’ll be pulling out all the stops. In celebration of our 50th anniversary, we’ve planned four major commercial events in all branches: In the months of March and September 2026, we’ll be celebrating our birthday for the entire month. In addition, there’ll be a celebration for the World Cup in May and June. After all, Conforama sells the highest number of televisions in all of Switzerland. And of course we’re also focussing on Black Friday promotions again this year. All these events will feature activities, competitions and, above all, special sales offers. There will be ‘flash sales’ in both physical and online stores lasting for only an hour at a time, during which a limited number of specific products will be available for absolutely unbeatable prices.
QUESTION: What does Conforama mean to Switzerland?
JÉRÔME GILG: In Conforama stores there’s always something going on and Conforama’s offers are often surprising. As part of Conforama’s 50-year anniversary, we’ll have even more surprises in store for our customers. These include collaborations with other retailers that no one will be expecting.
QUESTION: And what does Switzerland mean to Conforama?
JÉRÔME GILG: Conforama has become an integral part of the region. Both as an employer and as a distributor of furniture and electrical appliances. This creates quite a close bond between Switzerland and Conforama. Not least thanks to our strong corporate culture, we are lucky to have a large number of long-term employees. Employees who have worked at Conforama for more than five years usually stay with Conforama. As a result, 82 per cent of people in Switzerland know about our company.
QUESTION: How many employees does Conforama have in Switzerland?
JÉRÔME GILG: Around 800.
QUESTION: And how many customers do you have?
JÉRÔME GILG: Last year, we welcomed 5 million visitors to our stores. We also had an additional 20 million visitors online.
QUESTION: What would you say to a young person who is still unsure about starting an apprenticeship at Conforama?
JÉRÔME GILG: We have an extremely dynamic work environment. That means things are always happening here, and you too can make a difference! At Conforama, not everything is standardised to the smallest detail. Quite the opposite, actually. We need employees who think ‘outside the box’. Although we’re a company that’s been around for quite some time now, we’re constantly reinventing ourselves. We also allow people to make mistakes. I always tell our purchasing team that as long as our product managers are on top of the latest trends, they’re allowed to take a chance on an idea even if it doesn’t quite work out. When it comes to how we interact with one another, we have a fairly open work culture. Of course there’s a clear hierarchy, but everyone talks to everyone else. Anyone who’s doing a good job and wants to make a difference will quickly rise through our ranks.
QUESTION: Conforama doesn’t just sell furniture, but also a wide range of electrical appliances and even things like e-scooters. Do you come to work on an e-scooter too?
JÉRÔME GILG: (Laughs) No, my commute is too far for that. But the e-scooter product range is really cool because there are constantly new developments happening in this area. In Switzerland, we’re the market leader in e-scooter sales. We were only able to achieve this because we picked up on this trend early on. As a discount retailer, we don’t just sell budget products, but also branded items at attractive prices. For example, we are the exclusive distributor of PURE ELECTRIC e-scooters in Switzerland. This brand was founded by the father of Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris, and it’s constantly being developed further.
QUESTION: Conforama Switzerland was founded in 1976. You have been managing the company’s operations since August 2023. Is there a particular moment that you will always remember?
JÉRÔME GILG: Undoubted highlights were, of course, the openings in Villeneuve and Interlaken. Also my first management convention in September 2024 in Lenk in the Bernese Alps is still a particularly vivid memory for me. I had only been with the company for a year at that point and I invited all the managers and the executive board. That time was marked by some degree of uncertainty due to the company being under new ownership. But at this event, we managed to get everyone on the same page and streamline our strategy. So this too was one of my personal highlights, because I could really sense that everyone understood the direction we were heading in, that stability had returned, and that people shared my desire for renewed growth.
QUESTION: Mr Gilg, do you have any role models?
JÉRÔME GILG: My greatest role model is my grandfather.
QUESTION: Why your grandfather?
JÉRÔME GILG: Ninety years ago, he established a patisserie in Alsace, France, which is now run by my cousin, so it’s been in the hands of our family for three generations now. To me, my grandfather always represented a blend of creativity, entrepreneurial thinking and a down-to-earth attitude. That has always impressed me.
QUESTION: What does a busy CEO like Jérôme Gilg do to unwind after a hectic week at work?
JÉRÔME GILG: I spend time with my family. They give me energy. Also getting some exercise. I’m currently preparing for my first marathon in over ten years. But I still got some training to do for that. (Laughs)
QUESTION: One last question: What do you choose?
JÉRÔME GILG: Conforama!
