Franz Carl Weber disappears: the magic was long gone

There was a magical place in my childhood. He was located on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich and sold everything a child’s heart desired. Franz Carl Weber (FCW) was the name of the toy paradise with the rocking horse – or ‘Gigampfi-Ross’ – in the logo. When we were in Zurich, I wanted to go to the “Franzki”, much to the manageable enthusiasm of my parents.

This was especially the case during the Christmas period. Then the long-awaited and lovingly designed catalog appeared with all new products from Lego, Mattel and Co. And now? It’s beyond funny. “Franz Carl Weber becomes Müller,” reads an unsentimental poster on the main building, which now stands on Bahnhofplatz.

Last year, the German drugstore chain took over the Swiss toy retailer. She is now making short work of the remaining 21 branches. Those in Basel, Bern and Lucerne will also be converted into Müller stores. Others will likely disappear completely. Ultimately, there will probably be nothing left of Franz Carl Weber.

The St. Gallen FDP state councilor and Digitec founder Marcel Dobler, one of the last co-owners, had assured during the sale that the “Rössli” would remain. But last December he resigned from the board of directors. When asked by the NZZ, Dobler was very disappointed that Müller was giving up the Franz Carl Weber brand.

The $1 billion drugstore group founded by 91-year-old Erwin Müller was evasive about its plans to the Swiss media. At the same time he creates hard facts. The online store, which was only introduced a few years ago, was closed, as was the toy museum, which was only “moved” to Zurich-Altstetten in 2022.

The “Dreamland,” as it was temporarily dubbed, will be a community drugstore with an assortment of toys. The child of yesteryear feels a little melancholic. And yet it remains limited, and that’s not just because the toy phase was long ago. Because the decline of ‘Franzki’ actually started years ago.

The company, founded in 1881 by the German migrant Franz Philipp Karl Friedrich Weber from Fürth, experienced its heyday in the post-war boom of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1974 they even took over the American toy retailer FAO Schwarz. The Gigampfi steed could now also be found on the prestigious Fifth Avenue in New York.

The commitment to the highly competitive American market did not yield results and is now a thing of the past. Another revolution took place in the late 1970s. The head office in Zurich was completely renovated. It was occupied in 1890 and expanded over the years with four adjacent houses on Bahnhofstrasse and Rennweg.

The combined ensemble was part of the magic of the “Toy Castle” precisely because of its winding architecture. But from a sales perspective it was a nightmare, so the complex was stripped down to the facades over five years. A modern store was created, but the special appearance of the past had disappeared.

The restructuring and the increasingly heavy business caused problems for the family business. In 1984, Franz Carl Weber was sold to discounter Denner. This ensured a rigorous shrinkage treatment. The number of branches was reduced from more than 50 in Switzerland to 9. In 2006 it was sold to the French toy company Ludendo.

He went bankrupt in 2018, partly due to competition from online retail. Marcel Dobler and some colleagues jumped in. A drastic turning point had already occurred two years earlier. After 125 years, Franz Carl Weber left Bahnhofstrasse. They could no longer pay the rent and moved to a simple house on Bahnhofplatz.

It was a painful break with tradition for many old and young fans. And a further loss of emotional connection. Yet the new owners managed to achieve a turnaround and return to the black. New branches were also opened. After a break of almost twenty years, Franz Carl Weber returned to Lucerne in 2022.

Ultimately, the sale to Müller was a pragmatic decision. Despite its relative success, the traditional Swiss company was too small to obtain competitive wholesale prices. Now the suspicion is confirmed that the Germans focused on attractive branch locations in city centers and shopping centers.

Franz Carl Weber probably cannot be saved. Zurich city center is once again losing a company with an illustrious name. But the former magic has long evaporated. Despite all the regrets, the melancholy remains limited.