Posted24 July 2022, 15:07
Sport et businessRoger Federer’s On brand controversy
For the same shoe, The Roger Pro, Swiss customers pay up to 39% more online than abroad.
The retraining of the Swiss tennis star in the On brand shoe business has earned him criticism.
on-running.com
The shoe brand On, of which Roger Federer has been a shareholder since 2019 and which he promotes, would “plumerait” its customers in Switzerland, according to the expression used by Le Matin Dimanche, taking up an article from the “SonntagsZeitung”? Judging by the price comparison carried out by German-speaking journalists on a range of 19 shoes produced by On, one might answer in the affirmative. “The Swiss increase varies between 15 and 51%, writes the Sunday weekly. The most striking example is the Cloud dress shoe. In the United States, it costs 126 francs, in Switzerland 190 francs, or 51% more”.
“We are bleeding Swiss consumers”
The star shoe of the Swiss tennis icon – The Roger Pro – does not escape an appreciable supplement on the Swiss market either. When ordered online in Switzerland, the prestigious pair costs 270 francs. In Germany, the United States or the United Kingdom, its price ranges from 194 to 198 francs, i.e. differences of 36 to 39%. A customer interviewed by the “SonntagsZeitung” summarizes the discomfort: “The marketing of On plays on Swissness and on Roger Federer, Swiss ambassador of the brand and shareholder. At the same time, we are bleeding Swiss consumers”.
Prices aligned with retail
Roger Federer does not personally respond to these accusations. A spokesperson for the On brand justifies this different pricing policy from country to country: “Swiss sports shops have higher salaries and distribution costs, which affect prices. This is also the case with On”. But the newspaper retorts that it is a question of online sales… The spokesperson then becomes more precise: “Since its creation, we have worked in close collaboration with Swiss sports stores. They are the ones who sell the majority of On shoes in Switzerland. As a result of this partnership, our online prices are aligned with retail prices”.