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Swiss food delivery service Smood to shut down by April's end

A once-promising food delivery giant collapses under fierce competition. What's next for the 400+ workers left without jobs?

The image shows an old newspaper advertisement for a chocolate Mexican restaurant. The paper has...
The image shows an old newspaper advertisement for a chocolate Mexican restaurant. The paper has text written on it, likely describing the restaurant's offerings.

Swiss food delivery service Smood to shut down by April's end

Swiss food delivery service Smood will close permanently at the end of April. The decision follows months of financial struggles and a failed search for a sustainable business model.

Owned by Migros, the company announced on Wednesday that no viable solution had been found to keep operations running. The shutdown will impact over 400 employees, including around 370 couriers working across more than 25 Swiss cities. Smood first warned of a possible closure in January, triggering a consultation process. Despite efforts to stabilise the business, fierce competition and long-standing structural deficits made recovery impossible.

The app and delivery service will remain active until the final shutdown date. Customers can continue placing orders as usual until operations cease in late April.

A social plan has been finalised for affected staff. Severance packages will include two to three months' wages, with additional lump-sum payments based on age. Employees with children will receive extra support, and contributions of up to 1,000 Swiss francs will be available for retraining programmes.

The closure leaves more than 400 jobs at risk, primarily among couriers who delivered meals across Switzerland. The exact number of cities originally served by these workers remains unclear from available reports. With no alternative solution in place, Smood's operations will end by late April. The agreed social plan aims to ease the transition for employees losing their jobs. The company's exit marks the conclusion of a prolonged struggle in Switzerland's competitive food delivery market.

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