Raid at Adidas Tax investigators' trail leads to Root LU
German authorities suspect the Adidas Group of having evaded taxes by understating the customs value of imports. The Swiss branch in Root LU plays an important role.
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- German investigators have launched an investigation into Adidas on suspicion of tax evasion by allegedly understating the customs value of EU imports.
- The focus is on the Lucerne-based subsidiary Adidas International Trading, which may have gained tax advantages through transactions via Switzerland.
- The investigation is still ongoing and cooperation between German and Swiss authorities is key to clarifying the case.
German investigators recently searched several locations of the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas. The reason for these measures is the suspicion of tax evasion. At the center of the investigation is the question of whether Adidas under-declared customs values for goods imported into the European Union.
Adidas International Trading, based in Root LU, is at the center of the investigation. This company could have played a key role in the controversial transactions. The authorities are investigating the extent to which the transactions were conducted via Switzerland and what tax advantages resulted from them.
The central task of the branch in Root LU is the global trade in shoes, clothing, accessories and equipment, Adidas headquarters told the "Tages-Anzeiger" newspaper when it became aware of the Swiss branch three years ago.
Customs and tax losses of over one billion euros
The customs authorities are assuming that customs duties were underestimated for the period from October 2019 to August 2024 and that import sales tax was therefore underpaid by a total of over one billion euros.
Adidas is relaxed. The company has been in contact with customs authorities on this matter for years. It does not expect any "significant financial impact" from the ongoing investigation.
Five Adidas managers are at the center of the investigation, one of whom has since left the company. The investigators, who work for German authorities, accuse them of having committed "numerous cases of evasion of import duties in particularly serious cases", as the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper quotes Handelsblatt.
The investigations are still ongoing and the consequences for Adidas are open. Cooperation between the German and Swiss authorities could be decisive in clearing up the case completely.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.