SPAR International extends sponsorship of European athletics
SPAR International, the world’s largest organisation of independent food retailers, has extended its commitment to European Athletics by extending its sponsorship for a further four years to 2015.
SPAR has been the principal sponsor of European Athletics since 1996. The new contract will start in January 2012 and will include the European Athletics Championships 2012 and 2014, the European Athletics Indoor Championships 2013 and 2015, and the SPAR European Cross Country Championships 2012 to 2015.
Christian Milz, director general of European Athletics, commented: “The added value that SPAR brings to promoting athletics in Europe thanks to its thousands of shops is of huge importance to us.
“I am sure our close relationship with SPAR over the next four years will ensure that we can continue to showcase both our main events and our initiatives in youth development and mass participation in line with SPAR’s own goals and values.”
Dr. Gordon Campbell, SPAR International managing director, said: “European Athletics championship events provide SPAR with a cost effective, good level of brand exposure. Through our partnership with European Athletics, the SPAR brand is closely aligned with energetic and healthy people competing at the pinnacle of sport on the continent, and this combined with our support of national and local athletics events is the right synergy for us.”
SPAR said it was pleased with the brand exposure it received at the Barcelona 2010 European Athletics Championships. A television audience of 368 million watched last summer’s event during live broadcasts which SPAR said demonstrated the continued popularity of European Athletics’ flagship championships.
“European Athletics events are a great platform for building the SPAR brand worldwide. We are very much looking forward to the next championships in Helsinki in 2012 and then Zürich in 2014 as European Athletics switches to a two-year cycle for its main championships,” said Dr. Campbell.
