Assos of Switzerland sues UK’s ASOS

Swiss premium cycling brand Assos is suing fashion e-tail giant ASOS in the UK courts, a news report claimed on Wednesday.

Business newspaper City AM said the Swiss firm “filed a… claim last Friday to the English High Court, with Asos Plc, Asos.com and Asos France named as defendants”.

Assos of Switzerland was owned by the Maier family but sold control to US private equity firm TZP Group nearly 10 years ago. It has operated a flagship store in London’s West End at St James’s Market for eight years.

The newspaper said the exact grounds for the lawsuit aren’t clear at present but it’s not the first time the two firms have been involved in legal proceedings. It had previously been reported that in 2016, ASOS reached a settlement with Assos and a German menswear retailer Anson’s Herrenhaus “over an alleged infringement of the trademarks on their name”.

City AM said that under the agreement ASOS was set to pay the two companies £20.2 million and would refrain selling cycle clothing or opening shops in Germany.

The newspaper said neither the Swiss nor the British firm commented when it approached them about the latest story.