December 21 – The influence, importance and ambition of Internazionale’s new owners Suning Sports Group to the club’s development was reinforced yesterday with the announcement of a multi-year sponsorship agreement for a package of naming rights by Suning Group affiliates.
Inter’s first team training centre will now become known as The Suning Training Centre in memory of Angelo Moratti. The Club’s youth team training centre, commonly known as ‘Interello’, will now be known as The Suning Training Centre in memory of Giacinto Facchetti.
On-line shopping portal Suning.com has become the Official Training Apparel Partner for both the senior and youth (Primavera) teams. Suning Commerce has over 3,500 retail stores in more than 600 cities in China.
Sun Weimin, Vice Chairman for Suning Commerce Group, said: “We are delighted to announce Suning.com as the Official Training Apparel Partner of Inter. As one of the most popular foreign clubs in China, our partnership with Inter will allow us to boost our brand awareness and brand recognition in China and other strategic markets in Asia. It will also help to establish the Suning.com brand in Europe and we look forward to activating this activity together with Inter in the future.
Suning Sports Group, part of the Suning Group, was only formed as its standalone own entity in 2016, sitting alongside retail, real estate, media and entertainment, investment and financial services divisions. While the sports group has ambition across the full range of the sports business from athlete representation to data services, its core is club management and controls Jiangsu Suning Football Club in China’s Super League, and Suning Women’s Football Club.
Networking the Inter sponsorships through group companies isn’t just about getting money into the club but makes sense as it ties the Suning brand to Inter, building it international, as well as maximising the Inter brand opportunities for Suning in China, and growing the club there.
As the Official Training Grounds’ Naming Partner, Suning’s rights include; brand visibility across all pitches including static pitch-side advertising boards at both of the training centres, prime logo position on main partner displays, and prime position on the background LED in the press rooms.
As Official Training Apparel Partner, Suning.com will receive brand visibility on LEDs at all Inter home matches, secondary logo position on media backdrops and partner displays, plus the tunnel entrance hoarding at the San Siro. VIP hospitality and ticketing opportunities for Inter home matches are included, as is use of a global Brand Ambassador, and match day sponsorship activation opportunities.
Inter Chief Revenue Officer, Michael Gandler, said: “This partnership is an important step for Inter as we continue to more effectively monetise the value of our assets. Through this partnership Suning can expect major branding opportunities, increased global media coverage and direct fan engagement on Inter’s digital and media platforms. We also expect to further develop other core areas of our business through Suning including, e-commerce, retail and media.
“Suning.com is one of the top three on-line retailer platforms in China and Inter has a hundreds of millions of followers globally, a large proportion of which are in China. This agreement will give the Suning brand increased visibility in China and provide for a platform in Europe for potential future expansion.”
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