Debts to pension fund Zurich family business on the brink - one hope remains

The family business Además in Winterthur is on the brink of collapse. The reason: old debts to a pension fund. Suppliers and customers are now raising money to reopen the boutique.

The family business, the Además boutique in Winterthur, is facing an existential crisis. On October 18, the district court opened bankruptcy proceedings against the company, which led to the abrupt closure of the store. "We rattled into this with naive eyes", Managing Director Felix Wittmer tells the "Landbote" newspaper.

The reason: old debts to a pension fund. These had initiated bankruptcy proceedings. The amount involved was in the low six-figure range.

However, this was not entirely unexpected. Además had a loyal clientele, but: "Since corona, things have become increasingly difficult," says Wittmer. "There were fewer walk-in customers in the old town and sales plummeted."

They have tried to keep up with the times with an online presence. The debts to the pension fund were the famous straw that broke the camel's back.

450,000 francs needed for the rescue

The closure of the boutique triggered a wave of solidarity. They were inundated with emails and phone calls. Franziska Bründler, a long-time supplier, initiated the founders of IG Además. The aim: to raise enough money to save the boutique and enable it to reopen.

According to Wittwer, around 450,000 francs are needed to pay off all the debts. In addition to customers and suppliers, local personalities such as Jakob Bächtold, Managing Director of the House of Winterthur, and Rudi Gehring and John Canciani, Director of the Winterthur International Short Film Festival, are also supporting the idea.

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The Winterthur-Altstadt bankruptcy office does not provide any information on the specific case. According to Boris Blaser, board member of the professional association Treunhand Suisse, a business has ten days from receipt of the bankruptcy judgment to collect evidence for an appeal. For example, proof of debt repayment.

The aim is for the boutique to reopen before Christmas

The aim is to be able to reopen the boutique before Christmas in order to benefit from the Christmas business.

Managing Directors Coletta Zwipfer and Felix Wittmer are overwhelmed by the support. The two of them are not yet planning what to do next with Además. For now, it's all about averting bankruptcy.

One thing is clear: "If we are able to reopen the store, we will have to make some changes," says Wittmer. As administration is not their core competence, this has been handed over to an external trustee with immediate effect, for example. The customers also have a role to play. "Solidarity is one thing. But we also need turnover."

If bankruptcy cannot be averted, the money collected will go to the two managing directors, according to IG Además. As they have founded a sole proprietorship, they are liable with their private assets.