What Chicory Mode does

Chicorée Mode AG is a privately held Swiss women's fashion retailer headquartered in Dietikon, Switzerland, operating under the Chicory Mode brand. Founded in 1982 by Jörg Weber and remaining under family ownership, the company has grown from a small footprint to over 180 physical stores across Switzerland, employing approximately 900 people and selling more than 15 million garments annually. Its catalog comprises 839 products distributed across two differentiated sub-brands, TODAY and FAMOUS, which segment its value-priced offering for distinct Swiss customer cohorts.

The business operates a multi-channel distribution model combining its nationwide physical retail network with e-commerce, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and a WhatsApp-based customer service channel, supplemented by a VIP loyalty program aimed at increasing repeat purchase frequency. Revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer sales of affordable women's apparel and accessories across both physical stores and digital channels. The customer base is a long tail of mass-market Swiss consumers, with no B2B or enterprise concentration disclosed.

Following the 2020 leadership transition that installed Thomas Ullmann as CEO alongside Pascal and Mathias Weber as Co-CEOs, the company has continued its steady footprint expansion and incremental omnichannel buildout, as reflected in its improved ranking to #4 among Swiss retail employers in 2026. No AI/ML capabilities, acquisitions, external funding rounds, or geographic expansion beyond Switzerland are evident in the disclosed information, positioning the business as a stable, single-country, family-controlled value-fashion operator.

Name

Chicory Mode

Legal name

Chicorée Mode AG

Website

https://chicoree.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dietikon

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Revenue generated from physical retail store sales across 180+ locations in Switzerland, selling women's fashion apparel and accessories.
2. E-commerce Sales: Online sales through the company's website and mobile applications for both everyday online shopping and outlet/discount items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chicorée Mode AG operates a Swiss women's fashion retail business selling trendy and basic apparel (shirts, blouses, dresses, pants, jeans, jackets, cardigans, knitwear) and accessories through a network of over 180 physical retail stores across Switzerland, complemented by an e-commerce website and iOS/Android mobile applications. The portfolio is organized under the Chicorée main brand with two sub-brand lines, TODAY and FAMOUS, offering seasonal lookbook collections at affordable price points generally between CHF 4.95 and CHF 39.95.

Product overview

Chicorée Mode AG is a Swiss women's fashion retailer operating a unified omnichannel platform centered on its chicoree.ch e-commerce website and a network of over 180 physical retail stores across Switzerland. The core digital product is the Chicorée main website (chicoree.ch), which serves as both the primary online storefront and gateway to specialized sub-products including the Everyday Online Shop (an online-exclusive collection with volume discounts), the ChicApp mobile application for iOS and Android, Chicorée Gift Cards, and the VIP loyalty program. The company's fashion portfolio is organized around two sub-brands — TODAY and FAMOUS — each featuring seasonal lookbook collections (Earth Edit, Urban Natur, Pink Mood, Sunny Tops & Denim, The Summer Edit, Wear the Statement) that showcase targeted clothing lines. Additional services include a Summer Sale event, a WhatsApp customer messaging service, in-store Cut & Style hair salon, and newsletter subscription. Products span shirts, knitwear, blouses, dresses, pants, jeans, jogging pants, skirts, jackets & coats, cardigans, overalls, and accessories (bags, sandals, belts, hats, socks, gloves, blankets).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TODAY: Budget-friendly fashion line offering basic and trendy items starting from CHF 10.
• FAMOUS

Products and services

• ChicApp Mobile Application Mobile shopping application available on iOS App Store and Google Play, enabling customers to browse and purchase Chicorée fashion products on mobile devices.
• Chicorée Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards that can be ordered online or purchased in-store and delivered to the recipient or the buyer directly.
• VIP Loyalty Program Customer loyalty program allowing registration for VIP login, saving favorites, and accessing exclusive offers and promotions.
• Chicorée Main Apparel Collection Core women's fashion line of shirts, blouses, dresses, pants, jeans, jackets, cardigans, knitwear, skirts, overalls, and accessories sold at full prices ranging from CHF 9.95 to CHF 29.95.
• TODAY Sub-Brand Collection Budget-friendly fashion sub-brand offering basic and trendy clothing items including pants, tops, blouses, shorts, and dresses starting from CHF 10, presented through seasonal lookbooks.
• FAMOUS Sub-Brand Collection Fashion sub-brand featuring tops, denim, skirts, bags, bermudas, and statement pieces with bold prints starting from CHF 4.95, presented through seasonal lookbooks.
• Cut & Style Hair Salon In-store beauty service offering hair salon services located within the Willisau store, complementing the fashion retail experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15 million garments sold annually, ranking among leading companies in Swiss Young Fashion market

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Esprit: Esprit is a heritage European casual apparel brand with women's fashion as a core category, distributed via stores, wholesale, and e-commerce. Comparable to Chicorée on women's apparel breadth and European market presence, though at higher price points and broader demographic coverage.
• Zara (Inditex): Zara is the flagship fast-fashion brand of Inditex, offering trend-driven women's apparel and accessories globally via integrated online and physical channels. Competes with Chicorée on women's fashion trends and omnichannel execution, though at higher price points.
• H&M (Hennes & Mauritz): H&M is the global value-fashion incumbent offering trendy women's apparel at low price points across thousands of stores and a strong e-commerce channel. Overlaps with Chicorée on category, customer, and price band, but operates at vastly greater international scale and brand breadth.
• Primark (ABF): Primark is a large European value-fashion chain operated by Associated British Foods, offering trend-led apparel at very low price points across a growing European store estate. Competes with Chicorée on price and young women's fashion, though with limited online and broader geographic mix.

Direct peers

• OVS: OVS is Italy's leading value-fashion retailer with a focus on affordable family and women's apparel sold through owned stores across Europe. Comparable to Chicorée on value positioning, store-network distribution, and broad assortment of trend-driven basics.
• C&A: C&A is a European value fashion and family-apparel retailer with a strong presence in Switzerland and DACH region. Overlaps with Chicorée on affordable women's apparel, broad size ranges, and physical-store-heavy distribution model.
• Bonprix (Otto Group): Bonprix is the value-fashion subsidiary of the Otto Group, operating in Switzerland via bonprix.ch with affordable women's apparel and accessories. Directly comparable to Chicorée on value-price women's fashion targeting Swiss consumers, though distribution is primarily online rather than physical stores.
• Tally Weijl: Tally Weijl is a Basel-headquartered value fashion retailer targeting young women with affordable trendy apparel across Europe. Direct overlap with Chicorée on demographic, price band (entry-level EUR pricing), and fast-fashion cadence.
• New Yorker: New Yorker is a German-headquartered value-fashion chain targeting young adults with trendy apparel at low price points across European shopping centers. Comparable to Chicorée on customer segment, store-format, and entry-level pricing.

Regional players

• Vögele Shoes (successor to Charles Vögele): Vögele Shoes is the Swiss successor to the former Charles Vögele retail chain, operating value apparel and footwear stores across Switzerland and neighboring markets. Historically the closest Swiss-headquartered competitor to Chicorée in value fashion, though now focused primarily on footwear.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5pskqiUUaI1gY5jNmSfNZg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Chicoree
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicoreefashion
• TikToktiktok.com/@chicoreefashion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicory Mode