Swiss dairy group Emmi has insisted it remains in talks over renewing its sponsorship deal with tennis star Roger Federer amid reports the two could part company at the end of the year.
Reports in Switzerland have suggested that Emmi will not renew its contract with the Swiss tennis player when their deal expires at the end of the year.
Emmi and Federer first joined forces in 2003 and the world’s number-two ranked tennis player has since plugged a range of products, including yoghurt and muesli.
However, Emmi is reviewing its marketing expenditure and is keen to maintain last year’s investment of “a little over” CHF100m (US$89.3m), a spokesman for the dairy group told just-food today (18 May).
The spokesman said no decision had been taken over agreeing an extension to the Federer deal and insisted the two sides were still in discussions.
However, the spokesman hinted that Emmi’s international presence did not match Federer’s global appeal as one of the world’s top tennis players.
“We are not very global. We are a Swiss company with international products. Federer is in the Champions League while Emmi, internationally, is not even in the Premier devision,” the spokesman told just-food.
The future of Emmi’s sponsorship deal with Swiss motor racing star Thomas Lüthi is also unclear. The current deal lasts until the end of the year and the Emmi spokesman said the company would decide whether to extend it this summer.
Last month, Emmi booked a 42.3% rise in annual profits thanks, it said, to “rigorous” cost-control.
