Diego Maradona, football icon who died in 2020, represented the golden age of Le Coq Sportif’s equipment supplier.
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Blue white red and the king of the barnyard, and yet it is an Argentinian who is associated with the Coq Sportif in the memory of footballers. Diego Armando Maradona wore the logo on his chest when he lifted the FIFA World Cup in 1986. The pictures have largely returned to the fore when the footballer died. They show a sport icon, but they also testify to the strength of Le Coq Sportif at the time.
A time when Nike and Adidas did not dominate the sponsorship market as they do today. The Coq Sportif had a golden age before returning to the shadows. It was in 2005 that the Swiss financial group Airesis redeems it. “It’s a wonderful and eventful past” comments Marc-Henri Beausire, CEO since 2015. His strategy is simple in idea, but less in practice. He wants to make Le Coq Sportif a sustainable brand.
Ecology in the sights
Like all textile brands, Le Coq Sportif is working to find a solution to replace the polluting components still used. His boss says he is on the right track, with a confection requiring much less water and dyes than current ones. The textile industry remains for the time being one of the most polluting in the world. The problem is that the textile is greedy in water. “It is estimated that growing a kilo of cotton requires up to 20,000 liters of water, depending on where and how it grows. The “World Bank” estimates that 20% of industrial water pollution comes from dyeing and water treatment, “says a WWF report.
Fanny Dumas, president of theassociation Fair’Act, confirms the difficulty of finding durable clothing. “It’s very complicated. We do not have a complete label on the provenance and treatment of the clothes. You have to search and ask questions, ”she says. In addition to this simple aspect of production, there is the problem of overconsumption. “The world consumption of clothes doubled between 2000 and 2014” further indicates the WWF.
He specifies that each person buys an average of 5 kilos of clothes per year, and that this figure reaches 16 kilos for Europe and the United States. The French-speaking Federation of Consumers had also co-organized an awareness day on this subject in its branch in Vaud in 2019.. In particular, she urged people to keep their clothes and not to change according to each fashion. This is what Le Coq Sportif is trying to do with its “essentials”. The brand enters the dance of slow fashion.
Price policy
Le Coq Sportif has experienced financial difficulties. Several threats of bankruptcy have prompted management to clean up the economic model. Fighting on an equal footing against the giants such as Nike, Adidas and Puma is practically impossible, especially in the footwear sector. “There is a real community,” notes Marc-Henri Beausire. The income that sneakers generate are staggering.
Nike remains a very strong brand globally. “We are uniquely positioned to grow, and it’s time to build on Nike’s strengths and its own capabilities. We continue to invest in our greatest opportunities, including for a more connected digital marketplace, to extend our dominance and increase our long-term growth. ” says John Donahoe, President and CEO of Nike, in the report closing the year 2020.
Textiles represent a more affordable market for the CEO of Le Coq Sportif. “It’s easier to get into sustainability,” he explains. Products sometimes cost 15-20% more than those of their competitors. “It’s difficult for the consumer to accept,” admits the boss. Some of the clothes may be made in Troyes, France, 90% are produced in Morocco according to Le Monde Diplomatique.
In addition, some brands are trying to move away from the usual pattern of sending designs to big Asian factories. The world of luxury is developing partnerships with designers, so as to regularly create capsule collections. The brand au coq relies mainly on timeless collections, the essentials. This represents 50 to 60% of turnover and allows the products sold to be easily replaced on the shelf. There are of course other products, brought with the seasons.
More expensive, less risky than some astonishing pieces from its competitors, is Le Coq Sportif being pushed to lower its prices? During Black Friday, a period of tempting discounts in many sectors, the brand still posted reductions of around 30%. Not 60% therefore, but difficult to completely miss these events, so much they attract consumers.
The Argentine Rooster
To sell, you need an audience. To attract the public, you need a spectacle. Le Coq Sportif was able to rely at the time on Maradona, Cruyff or by offering the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. The brand’s glorious years therefore, in a much more competitive landscape.
If Diego Maradona and his team lifted the World Cup with the famous white and sky blue jersey, the away jersey has also become a legend. And for good reason: it is the one the Argentinian wore when scoring with “the hand of God” against England. Above all, this jersey was chosen and sewn in disaster so that the players can play.
In the round of 16, they wore a cotton sweater making them sweat too much during their match. What to do? Coach Bilardo started looking for a more comfortable substitute for his team. He looked for a solution among local businesses and came out with two jerseys. Maradona decided for one. The Argentines then went to buy 38 jerseys to which the Argentina crest and the numbers had to be added. They were then ready to play their quarter-final.
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The surface and the repair
Today, Neymar is at Puma, Messi at Adidas and Cristiano Ronaldo at Nike. The clubs themselves sign sponsorship contracts for astronomical amounts with the brands. At the OEM level, the largest clubs target those capable of distributing on a large scale.
Liverpool, who had signed a contract with New Balance, finally opted for Nike. The contract is worth $ 39.5 million per year. Could a smaller brand sponsor a club in this way? “We do it with AS Saint-Etienne” notes Marc-Henri Beausire, who adds: “The financial balance is not however there for these operations. It’s a bet on visibility. ”
Note that rugby is also of interest to the brand, since it has become the supplier of the French team in the discipline. The goal is to continue to make oneself known, in particular by insisting on common values. Sustainability, slow fashion: very present sensibilities for young audiences in particular. Like all textile brands, Le Coq Sportif is working to find a solution to replace the polluting components still used. His boss says he is on the right track, with a confection requiring much less water and dyes than current ones.
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