Federer and Helvetia do not come to an agreement
Roger Federer's days as an insurance spokesperson may be numbered. The tennis star cannot reach an agreement with Helvetia.
As Schweiz am Sonntag writes, Helvetia wants the Nationale Suisse brand to disappear after buying it last year. Nationale Suisse is Federer's sponsoring partner. After the disappearance of the brand next May, Federer and Helvetia would need a new contract, the deal can not simply be taken over. The advertising slogan "Herkunft verbindet" ("Origin unites") of the Basel-based insurance company Nationale Suisse alludes to Federer's birthplace. Helvetia, on the other hand, is perceived as an eastern Swiss company.
In St. Gallen, there seems to be little interest in sponsoring Federer. Helvetia does not sponsor individual athletes, but rather thematic areas such as skiing. A corresponding entry into the sport of tennis is not said to be planned.
If Helvetia does not reach an agreement with Federer, he will become a kind of advertising pensioner who no longer has to advertise but still receives money - two million francs a year, according to the Sonntagszeitung. Federer does not have to withdraw completely from advertising, however, as his multi-million commitments with companies such as Jura, Sunrise, Lindt and Credit Suisse will continue unchanged. (hae/SaS)
