July 2, 2026
From classroom to boardroom: 18 students took part in Business Week at Gruner
For the first time, Gruner hosted Business Week in collaboration with Handelskammer beider Basel and wirtschaftsbildung.ch. As an independent company with more than 160 years of history, entrepreneurial thinking has always been part of Gruner's DNA. The week provided an opportunity to pass this experience on to the next generation.
How do you successfully steer a company through economically challenging times? What impact do investments, pricing decisions or market strategies have? These were some of the questions explored by 18 students from Muttenz High School during Business Week at Gruner, organised with Handelskammer beider Basel and wirtschaftsbildung.ch.
At the heart of the project week was the WIWAG business simulation. Working in teams, the students founded fictional companies and managed them through five tturbulent financial years. They made decisions on investments, pricing strategies and staffing, responded to changing market conditions, and experienced the immediate consequences of their choices.
In addition to the business simulation, the students gained practical insights through expert presentations and a guided company tour at Gruner.
Highlight: the investors' conference
The week concluded with the investors' conference. The teams presented their companies, business ideas and the results of their decisions to a jury. The students demonstrated impressively how quickly they grasped economic concepts and translated them into entrepreneurial action.
"It was particularly impressive to see how the teams surpassed themselves every day and developed their companies with great commitment," says Prisca Valentino, Senior HR Business Partner at Gruner.
Commitment to the next generation
By participating as a host company, Gruner reinforces its commitment to education and young talent. Business Week gives young people the opportunity to gain valuable experience for their future studies and career choices while providing a realistic insight into the world of business.
18 students from Gymnasium Muttenz took part in Business Week at Gruner.
The participants took on the role of a company's executive management in a realistic business simulation.