Coop wants to demolish the ‘Jumbo’ in the industrial area

A new development is to be built on the Hinterfeld Süd site in the Städtler Allmend industrial area in Cham. As one of the first construction steps, the Coop is now planning to move ‘Jumbo’ so that it can remain present at the location.
 

The current wasteland at the Alpenblick intersection in Cham is certainly not a sight for sore eyes. That is set to change, as a commercial development is planned for the site, with the planned 70-metre high-rise building set to become the new landmark of the Städtler Allmend. In a vote on 9th June 2024, the voters of Cham approved both proposals necessary for the implementation of the construction project: the partial revision of the high-rise areas and the Hinterberg Süd development plan.

Planning is now continuing: the Coop cooperative, which occupies most of the 22,000 square metres of the 30,000 square metre site, wants to demolish the ‘Jumbo’ store that is currently located there and move it to a temporary sales facility. The corresponding building application is currently with the Cham Planning and Building Department (Abteilung Planung und Hochbau). The objection period ends on 14th October.

Eastern site to become a construction site
The temporary facility is to be built to the west of the current location and, at around 2,500 square metres, will only be about half the size of the current commercial building. A further 84 outdoor parking spaces are planned, and will replace the current customer parking spaces to the east of the Jumbo, where the entire area will be used for the construction site. The part of the site on which the temporary building is to be erected is currently used by Amag, which is located on the other side of the Alte Steinhauserstrasse. These parking spaces will also be lost when construction of the temporary building begins.

Construction work on the temporary Jumbo is scheduled to start in mid-November 2025, so that it can open at the beginning of August 2026. The last day of sales in the current commercial building is expected to be 31st July 2026.

According to the building application, the demolition costs are estimated at CHF 635,000, whereby the temporary sales facility is expected to cost CHF 4,850,000.

A picture of the Hinterberg Süd site from January 2024. On the right-hand side of the picture, you can see the ‘Jumbo’ commercial building, which is to be demolished. The temporary sales outlet is to be built on the section of the site in the lower centre of the picture.          Photo: Stefan Kaiser
Plan showing the location of the temporary building 
The construction profiles for the temporary Jumbo have been finalised     Photo: Kristina Gysi
 

As the Coop writes in response to an enquiry from the Zuger Zeitung newspaper, the range of products will remain the same in the temporary store, but the depth of the range will have to be ‘slightly adjusted’, as there is significantly less sales space available there.

According to current plans, the range of services, such as the bicycle repair shop, wood cutting and paint mixing service, will remain unchanged. Furthermore, ‘all employees will be closely involved in the project: from the move to the temporary premises and their operation to the move into and inauguration of the new building’. The latter is to be built on the same site where Jumbo is located today.

It’s not yet possible to say when the entire development on the Hinterberg Süd site will be completed, as the building application has not yet been approved and construction has not yet begun. The plan is to submit the building application for the entire development by the end of this year. The Coop does not wish to comment on the estimated total cost of the project at this stage.

Residential space exclusively for commercial use
The project is being developed in collaboration with Heinz Häusler AG, which owns around 6,800 square metres of the site. The company is familiar with the area: between 2013 and 2016, it built the One-One residential buildings on the opposite side of the Zugerstrasse.

A Coop Bau & Hobby, a Livique, a Coop supermarket, a gym, a restaurant and a petrol station are to be built on the Hinterberg Süd site. In addition, there will be three office buildings in which ‘commercial residential use’ is also planned – namely business apartments. Regular residential space is not planned.