Wednesday, August 10, 2011

It's A Funny Old World

Watching with interest the little fracas over the new addidas All Black jerseys. For those unaware, the New Zealand national rugby team have just “upgraded” their playing strip and official replica kit is available to supporters.

The domestic price for the jersey is $220. However, it was possible to source the jersey from a US-based webstore for $92 shipped to New Zealand. Sound familiar?

In the last week it has created a political shitstorm where even the Prime Minister is berating addidas over their domestic pricing policy.


So far, addidas have been intransigent. In fact, they have gone so far as to prohibit the top 12 web-based offshore sites from shipping to New Zealand. Sounding even more familiar?

I am waiting, finger poised, for the NZ Government to utter even one word about addidas not being able to continue to do business domestically while creating an inflated market.

Good for the goose etc etc etc

6 comments:

  1. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd now I can go buy it at Rebel locally for 110 dollars.

    BRB - going to GW and expecting to buy a rhino for 30 bucks!

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  2. I liked the 'three stripes and you're out' utterance.

    Salute
    von Peter himself

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  3. And now Addidas have caved and removed thier "unfair" & "hasty" blocking of cheaper imports from outside of NZ and Key had this to say on the matter:

    The Prime Minister waded into the jersey debate yesterday and told adidas to admit it had made a problem and "fix it".

    "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," Key said.

    Addidas have said the following as explanation of the price differences:

    Huggett said last night 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.

    "We invest significant amounts of money here that isn't invested in other parts of the world," he said.

    It's a pretty thin excuse, but sadly it's more than some other companies have managed!

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  4. Sadly, we now know that the PM or his kids don't play Warhammer :(

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