Flooring company Quick-Step has stepped up its commitment to Belgian UCI WorldTour cycling team Etixx Quick-Step by agreeing to become the squad’s sole title sponsor for the 2017 season.
Under the agreement, Quick-Step will take over sponsorship, while Etixx is set to remain on board as an official supplier, but without branding rights on its kit. The team will now be known as Quick-Step Floors.
Under a deal announced in July 2014, Etixx, the sports nutrition brand of healthcare group Omega Pharma, was set to take on its parent company’s co-naming sponsor designation from 2015 through 2017.
“The Quick-Step brand and the pro cycling team share many core values – a commitment to quality results and the continuous introduction of innovations that give us the competitive edge we need to win,” Paul De Cock, president of Quick-Step’s parent company Unilin, said. “These values are the cornerstone of success for both of our organisations. By origin we're also a Flemish company – cycling is in our DNA.”
Part of the pro peloton since 1998 and title sponsor of the team between 2003 and 2011, Quick-Step has strong ties with the squad.