Executive Summary

Migros subsidiary Digitec Galaxus is abandoning its megaproject in Rafz (Zurich Unterland). The planned distribution center with 500 jobs and 50,000 daily package shipments will instead be realized in the canton of Solothurn (Egerkingen). The municipality of Rafz is disappointed but accepts the economic logic of the decision. Meanwhile, Schaffhausen and Thurgau are postponing their decision on cleaning up zebra mussels in the Rhine until mid-year.

People

Topics

  • Economic locations in Switzerland
  • Spatial planning & approval procedures
  • Logistics & e-commerce
  • Environment & invasive species

Clarus Lead

Digitec Galaxus is halting its flagship logistics project in the Zurich Unterland region. The 60,000-square-meter center in Rafz was supposed to create 500 jobs and process 50,000 packages daily – after three and a half years of planning, it is being relocated to the canton of Solothurn. The reason: Zurich has too many spatial planning and ecological requirements, Solothurn offers faster clarity. The signal is critical for rural regions that depend on major employers. At the same time, Schaffhausen and Thurgau are postponing their decision on invasive zebra mussels in the Rhine until mid-2026 – a provisional solution with uncertain outcomes.

Detailed Summary

The failed Rafz project. Digitec Galaxus announced in 2022 that it would build a massive center in the Rafz Süd industrial area. Migros justified its withdrawal by stating that the location, after evaluating multiple factors – economic, ecological, spatial planning – had a "lower probability of realization" than Egerkingen. Canton Solothurn means: fewer regulations, faster approval.

Disappointment and self-criticism in Rafz. Municipal Councilor Roman Neukomm acknowledges that Zurich's processes are lengthy. He should have worked faster with the canton, and the population should have supported the project more actively. However, Neukomm understands the logic: for Digitec, Solothurn was the economically rational choice. The land in Rafz remains Migros property; Neukomm hopes for new interested parties in the coming months or years.

Zebra mussels: Waiting rather than acting. Schaffhausen and Thurgau are postponing their decision on removing invasive mussels from the Rhine until mid-2026. The deposits partially block cruise ships. A cleanup would be costly, and the cantons want to first clarify their approach together. The mussels will remain in the Rhine at least until autumn 2026.

Key Statements

  • Spatial planning as competitive disadvantage: Zurich loses a 500-job project to Solothurn due to slower approval procedures.
  • Regional economy under pressure: Rural municipalities have less say in major projects; faster cantons win out.
  • Postponing environmental problems: Invasive zebra mussels block shipping; cantons delay solutions to an uncertain date.

Critical Questions

  1. Data quality: What specific "spatial planning requirements" in Zurich made Rafz less profitable than Solothurn? Digitec provides no figures – are comparative studies public?

  2. Conflicts of interest: Has Migros already committed to Solothurn, or is Egerkingen just a fallback? Does a single canton benefit more from this switch than others?

  3. Causality: Is Zurich's regulation truly the main reason, or do land availability, transport costs, or labor also play a role? How does Digitec weight these factors?

  4. Feasibility of zebra mussels: What are the concrete cleanup costs? Why does it take until mid-year to determine this figure? What risk arises if mussels remain until autumn?

  5. Regional incentives: Could Zurich have retained the project through deregulation or financial incentives – or had the decision already been made?

  6. Ripple effects in Rafz: How does the project loss impact the municipality's tax revenue and labor market planning? Is there a contingency plan?

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Source List

Primary Source: Regionaljournal Zurich Schaffhausen (SRF) – 20.02.2026, 17:00 https://www.srf.ch/audio/regionaljournal-zuerich-schaffhausen

Verification Status: ✓ 20.02.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 20.02.2026