Sweet cooperation between Thömus and Siroop
The regional pilot phase of the online marketplace Siroop is starting in the city of Bern. Regional because there are twelve pick-up stations around the capital - deliveries by post are possible nationwide. And it is also regional because the Siroop makers are focusing on regional and local businesses alongside national retailers and manufacturers as well as pure e-commerce providers. The presence of Bernese bike manufacturer Thömus fits in with this local credo like a glove.

Focus on Bern in the start-up phase
Customers can currently find around 30,000 products on Siroop, while customers can currently choose from around 250,000 products on the Galaxus online presence, which was launched in 2010. In addition to Thömus, the Bern-based retailer "Klötzli Messerschmiede" is also on board. Over the course of this year, further local retailers will follow with "Einfach Lesen", "Leinenweberei Bern" and "Heinzer Leuchten und Design". Magando", "Import Parfumerie" and "Coop Bau+Hobby" are also represented on Siroop, as is "Puresense Naturkosmetik" until the end of the year. The option to collect parcels from a pick-up station, such as a selected Coop Pronto store, is initially available in the pilot phase in the city of Bern.

Sales channel away from the core audience
"We are hoping for another sales channel away from our core audience. Siroop gives us the opportunity to make a selection of our bikes available to Swiss households and thus expand our community," says René Walker, Head of Marketing, Communication, PR and Online Shop at Thömus. In addition to a wide range of bikes, from road bikes to full carbon bikes, Thömus also offers numerous accessories on Siroop, ranging from a down jacket to saddle liners and neoprene overshoes. At first glance, there are no price differences between the web offers on Thömus' own online presence and Siroop.

How does Siroop work?
Siroop is operated by Siroop AG, a joint venture between Coop and Swisscom founded in April 2015 under the name EOS Commerce AG. "This gives the company access to experienced and reliable partners with a wide reach, great marketing power and state-of-the-art expertise in digitalization," says Kurt Rossi from Siroop. As with its competitors Galaxus and Amazon, Siroop integrates partners and third-party retailers into its product range and receives commissions from them. In contrast to its competitors, Siroop has had a strong focus on local retailers on the platform right from the start.

Who is coming to Thömus?
Whether other bike and accessory manufacturers get on board with Siroop seems to be only a matter of time, the company is showing a willingness to expand in the bike sector: "Siroop is of course still looking for retailers with that certain something, just like Thömus," says Rossi.

www.siroop.ch
www.thoemus.ch