Adidas: Our jersey price is fair | NZ News Today

Watch Video Adidas finally fronts (7:09) Related 21:09 Under fire adidas cancels All Blacks party watch opinion Martin Devlin: PR balls-up for adidas watch 20:38 Pressure mounts on adidas over All Blacks jersey (1:43) Adidas says it won’t cut its price for replica All Blacks jerseys because itÂ*isÂ*”absolutely fair and reasonable”. The row over prices for the jerseys has seen the sportswear giant get a serve from the Prime Minister, the Rugby World Cup Minister, ex-All Backs, retailers, and most critically, the fans. But on TV ONE’s Close Up tonight, adidas bosses still refused to back down even though the jerseys can be bought on overseas websites much cheaper than in New Zealand shops. The jumper can be bought overseas for around half the 220 price that it is being sold at in New Zealand, and price reductions by some retailers have only partially closed the gap. Adidas New Zealand Manager David Huggett apologised to fans “for the distraction this has caused”. But after explaining the pricing process, and repeated questions from host Mark Sainsbury, adidas managing director for the Pacific Greg Kerr said the price will not be reduced. He said the company has no control over the suggested retail price, and adidas’ retail pricing has not changed for three years. “If we look at our wholesale pricing, we believe <a href="http://www.nfljerseys-supply.com/"><strong>NFL shop jerseys</strong></a> that is fair and reasonable. The Kiwi dollar and the way it has moved has had a major impact as far as our pricing is concerned.” Kerr said the retailer will ultimately decide what happens in the retail landscape. Sainsbury asked if that was a “no” to the price of the jerseys coming down. “That’s a no,” Kerr relied: Huggett said that when considering the difference between prices in New Zealand and those offshore, adidas has to look at its investment into grass roots rugby, and into the retail landscape with its stores. “And we invest significant amounts of money here that isn’t invested in other parts of the world.” PM tells adidas to ‘fix it’ Prime Minister John Key said today adidas should to face the fact it has made a mistake with its domestic pricing of the jerseys. Key said anyone, including himself, can make a mistake and end up in the wrong place. “Sometimes you’ve got to know when to stop digging and just fix it,” he told Newstalk ZB. “It’s when you just will not admit that there is a problem that it becomes a massive problem and I think that’s the position adidas have got themselves into.” Huggett was asked if he believes the adidas brand in New Zealand has been damaged by the controversy. “I absolutely think there has been some brand damage,” he replied. But he said he wanted people to understand that there’s a bigger investment adidas makes in New Zealand rugby and the economy. “It’s not just about the price of the All Blacks jersey. And I understand it’s an emotional issue and it’s a sensitive issue. The All Black jersey is a part of the DNA of this country, so we fully understand it and we respect it.” Adidas blocks offshore websites Negotiations with adidas failed to reach agreement about lowering the cost, and the sportswear giant has since blocked offshore websites from supplying New Zealand customers. Marketing expert Dr Mike Lee told TV ONE’s Breakfast the company has added insult to injury by preventing fans from buying the jersey from overseas websites. “They’ve gone from giving people a basic reason (not to buy the jersey) which was that it cost too much, to a higher level, ethical reason, after they gave the order for online retailers to stop distributing to New Zealand,” he said. “They’re now seen as being underhanded and a bit of a bully.” A Boycott Adidas Campaign has been started by disgruntled fans, with more than 1500 supporters on its Facebook page. Daniel Farrell from the group <a href="http://www.nfljerseys-supply.com/ "><strong>football jerseys</strong></a> claims the company has shown arrogance and destroyed healthy competition for retailers. “We still call upon adidas New Zealand to stop blocking New Zealanders from purchasing overseas,” he said in a statement. “We still call upon adidas Global to make a stance on this. We still call upon the NZRU to support the fans over the corporations.” The New Zealand Rugby Union says it is standing by adidas in the price row. CEO Steve Tew said the price of the jersey is an issue between retailers and suppliers. “They don’t tell us how to pick a team, we don’t tell them how to price their goods,” he said in a statement. Adidas reiterated on Close Up that there are dozens of websites through which Kiwis could shop online for sporting goods including replica jerseys. The company said earlier that Kiwis’ ability to buy jerseys via the internet from offshore suppliers further extended <a href="http://www.nfljerseys-supply.com/"><strong>NFL jersey supply</strong></a> customer choice. But, ONE News understands the manufacturer has been restricting the number of websites Kiwis can use to buy the jersey by instructing the websites not to allow shipping of the products to this part of the world. A representative from worldrugbyshop.com told ONE News earlier this week that adidas’ distribution policies “limit our sale of this product (the jersey) outside the United States”. When asked if adidas told the site to remove New Zealand from the distribution list, Hoston said “from the information I’m receiving, I believe that is true”. What do you think about the adidas saga? Have your say on the messageboard below. Email this article Print this article Text size + - more… Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Latest NZ News Video Pressure mounts on adidas over All Blacks jersey (1:43)Â* Fishing boat crew alleging abuse face deportation (2:01)Â* Macsyna King book draws broadcaster’s ire (1:54)Â* Article source: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/adid...e-fair-4345576 Tags: news, nz, today