Image archive of the Zurich Food Association (LVZ)

The image archive of the LVZ is one of the richest image collections of the social archive. It includes over 1,600 photos, negatives, slides, glass slides and objects on the history of the Zurich Food Association. It covers the period from the 1870s to the 1990s. The LVZ (**from 1970: Coop**) has played a decisive role in shaping the world of consumption and, after the Second World War, ensured a permanent supply of goods with a wide-ranging branch network. Fortunately, the LVZ’s image archive goes far beyond the obvious and expected presentation of goods for purely advertising purposes. Already in the 1910s, the LVZ relied on its own productions and supplied its customers with bread, meat and coffee from its own companies. The cooperatively organised large-scale production ensured attractive prices. Firewood, oil and coal were handled in the large warehouses on the Turbinenstrasse. Thanks to direct track connection, the LVZ was also able to move large quantities cost-effectively. In 1914, the LVZ with St. Annahof opened a huge department store in a prime location on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse. The traditional way of presenting and selling there was a radical change after the Second World War. Self-service prevailed.