English Premier League football club Arsenal has announced a new long-term partnership with German sportswear company Puma, bringing an end to a 20-year relationship with Nike.
Terms of the deal, which will begin on July 1, were not disclosed, but both parties said that the agreement represents the biggest commercial partnership in their respective histories. It is understood that the deal is worth a total of about £150m (€182m/$248m), or an average of £30m per season.
In addition to producing the playing and training kit for all Arsenal teams, Puma has acquired wide-ranging licensing rights to develop other Arsenal branded merchandise on a global basis.
Bjoern Gulden, chief executive officer for Puma, said: “Arsenal have been a key strategic target for Puma for a number of years now. As we enter a new era in our company history, Arsenal represents a major commercial and marketing opportunity to reinforce Puma’s credibility as a global sports brand, and we have full confidence that the plans in place to activate this partnership will have a significant global impact.”
Arsenal’s current seven-year contract with Puma’s US rival Nike is due to expire at the end of the 2013-14 season.