Portrait of Jean-Luc Boegli
The former “king of memories” put on pancakes to bounce back
The empire he had built collapsed during the pandemic. Today, the Jurassic reinvents himself with a culinary project.
Jean-Luc Boegli poses in his crêperie de Moutier with his “Bobby” greyhound.
Raphael Moser
- He left the Jura at 19 and settled in Zurich. At 25, he was already a business manager.
- The pandemic forced the liquidation of its Edelweiss shops. He then lost everything he had built over the years.
- Leaving zero, he now manages a pancake company in Moutier, where he lives with his three children.
The last time Jean-Luc Boegli made the headlines was in January 2021 during the pandemic. When the boss of what was the largest souvenir company in Switzerland, with his 65 employees, was forced to liquidate his Edelweiss shops. In a few days, the man lost everything he had built over the years. However, in early 2020, business worked well. He had just renovated two stores after three flourishing years and prepared the opening of a new shop.
We find him in his crêperie in Moutier. Behind the counter, its pancake spreads the dough regularly on the hot plate. Its greyhound, comfortably installed on its knees, observes the downtown terrace, which is gradually filled with customers. “It’s my new life,” he said simply.
He has just unloaded 4 tonnes of pancake dough to restock his warehouse. He is a bit tired, but satisfied. It is his house preparation, which he markets throughout Switzerland under the brand La Crêperie of Switzerland. It also sells accessories and utensils for pancakes.
“A small fish in a large pond”
With its Edelweiss shops and its brands like Swiss Military and Alpine Club, Jean-Luc Boegli revolutionized the Souvenir market from the 2000s: direct sale instead of multiple intermediaries, T-shirts made in India and printed in the Jura. He managed every detail himself.
He was nicknamed the king of memory. If his trajectory has everything of the tale of self-made-manhe was brutally cut in his momentum by the pandemic. “Because I was a little fish in a large pond,” he says. Two companies, who have collaborated with him but prefer to remain anonymous, believe that he was just lacking in luck.
Jean-Luc Boegli describes his failure: “It has often been said that I was left. But I was rather caught in a vice. I didn’t see any way out. “
Departure for Zurich at 19
It all started thirty years ago, when Jean-Luc Boegli moved to Zurich with big dreams in mind. From a simple employee to the airport kiosk, he quickly became a store manager, then directed other points of sale at airports, open from stores to Zurich station and extended his activities to Geneva. In parallel, he managed a commercial company which provided up to 300 souvenir shops.
Jean-Luc Boegli in one of his Edelweiss shops at Zurich central station in 2014.
Sabine Bobst
With the revenues generated, he offered himself a beautiful house and several cars. He liked to live a hundred an hour, especially through his passion for rally. His boss at the time, the owner of the airport kiosks, appreciated the ambition of the young Jura. At 25, Jean-Luc Boegli was able to take over the souvenir business, thanks to a bank credit and a loan from his predecessor, which he reimbursed by annual payments up to 150,000 francs. A loan which, he says, ended up causing his loss.
Everything was working perfectly for him. He had built a company with more than 65 employees, founded a family with three children. He was perceived as a model of self-made-manhad a beautiful house and was invited to economic events. “I was someone,” he said proudly.
He finished repaying his bank debts in 2018. Then the pandemic struck, and his business, dependent on tourism, collapsed as a card castle.
The bank no longer wanted to hear about Jean-Luc Boegli
During the first semi-confident, in March 2020, when no one was traveling, the entrepreneur’s turnover collapsed. He certainly received the first aids of the State, but they were capped at 500,000 francs, while his company achieved 12 million turnover. The blow of grace occurred when it reopened, at the end of confinement in May, its three shops at the airport as well as those of the stations of Zurich and Geneva. Tourists have not returned. “We literally burned money,” he summarizes. Exorbitant rents and wages quickly became financial chasms.
He then desperately attempted to obtain transition credits, but his longtime bank has not reacted, says Jean-Luc Boegli. Even a letter addressed to the Zurich Council of State remained unanswered. “No one helped me, the fact that my branch has no lobby was fatal to me.” To make sure, his creditor, who knew the situation of his business, asked for the early reimbursement of the balance of his loan.
On December 2, 2020, he filed for bankruptcy. Maybe too early. Shortly after, the Confederation and the cantons announced new aids. “But I was already only the shadow of myself,” he explains.
Rupture and return to basics
Shortly after, his wife left him. “The uncertainty, the hesitations, the constant improvisation were heavy and it ended up leaving,” he says. Many people have also turned from him. “Without money, you are nobody in Zurich,” he said, thoughtful, serving a glass of cider imported from Brittany. Without his solid faith, he affirms that he would not have survived this dark period. He has received no unemployment benefits. As he was employed on his own, there was no right, although he paid unemployment contributions for years.
The year following his sinking, he sold his house near Zurich, passed his patent of innkeeper and moved to the Jura with his children. His parents also live there, and the cost of living is lower. He can also indulge in his passion, fly fishing.
With his crêperie in Moutier, Jean-Luc Boegli has more freedom than before.
Raphael Moser
Jean-Luc Boegli wanted to rebuild an activity independent of tourist cycles and fixed charges. The pancakes seemed to represent a carrier niche. If they are known in French -speaking Switzerland, they are still marginal in German -speaking Switzerland. The crêperie de Moutier is now part of his new company, but most of the activity is based on online sales and the rental of equipment for the preparation of pancakes. With his four employees, he also provides caterer services for companies and festivals throughout Switzerland. He even happens to put himself in the stove.
Today, he says he is better than before. At the time, he made a good living, but he lived constantly under pressure. What if a new pandemic should arise? His crêperie would survive thanks to low fixed costs, estimates the entrepreneur. It would be the same for his activity as Furniture sale Vintage, which he manages in parallel.
Translated from German by Laura Antonietti.
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