Zug, Switzerland – German global supermarket chain Lidl has signed up as an Official Sponsor of European handball's flagship event, the Men’s EHF EURO 2018. The deal was brokered by Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, and marks the retailer's second international engagement in handball on a global level, after being sponsor of the World Handball Championship 2017. It gives Lidl extensive brand exposure during the competition. Infront is the exclusive media and marketing partner of the European Handball Federation (EHF) for the and has now filled six of the maximum eight sponsorship slots for the competition, which takes place 12-28 January 2018, in four venues across Croatia.As Official Sponsor and Official Fresh Food Partner, Lidl's rights package comprises the positioning of floor stickers on the courts at each game and advertising on all the perimeter LED boards. For the first time, LED boards will be placed also behind the goals, enabling Infront to guarantee sponsors even greater brand visibility.
Lidl will provide all handball fans with the opportunity to watch live matches at the Arena Zagreb on the Lidl Fan Sofa. Fans will be able to experience the unique atmosphere of a live match in the arena combined with the comfort they can only find at home. A sofa will be installed next to the playing court for all the matches in Croatia's largest sports arena and handball fans will have the chance to win Lidl Fan Sofa tickets through a special competition on Lidl's online channels. Additionally, Lidl will have exclusive event branding on selected products sold in retail stores around Europe.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Lidl and our customers. We are proud to be connected to such an event and are looking forward to building a successful partnership in accordance with our mission statement ‘Simply more joy for life’”, said a LIDL spokesperson.
Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports for Infront said: "We are thrilled to have secured Lidl in their first sponsorship of these championships. Their commitment clearly underlines the growing popularity of handball, not only as a spectator sport, but also as an ever appealing marketing platform."
Lidl is now the sixth of a maximum eight Official Sponsors confirmed for the 2018 edition, joining workwear manufacturer engelbert strauss, sports retailer Intersport, home appliance manufacturer Gorenje, pump manufacturer Grundfos, and banking group Raiffeisen Bank International.
The Men’s EHF EURO 2018 will be held in Croatia from 12-28 January 2018, with games taking place in Split, Porec, Zagreb and Varaždin.
The Lidl retail company, as part of the Schwarz retail group headquartered in Neckarsulm, is one of the leading companies in the food retail industry in Germany and Europe. Lidl is represented in 30 countries around the world and currently operates over 10,000 stores and more than 150 distribution centers in 28 countries worldwide.As a discount supermarket, Lidl places value on an optimal price-quality ratio for its customers. Simplicity and process orientation determine everyday operations in the stores, regional distribution centers and services. As a system provider, Lidl Stiftung, headquartered in Neckarsulm, is responsible for the design and structure of standardized processes.Lidl currently has around 225,000 employees. Dynamism in daily implementation, strength as a result and fairness in dealing with one another characterize working at Lidl across the globe.In its daily trading, Lidl assumes responsibility for people, society and the environment. At Lidl, sustainability is a case of fulfilling its quality promise every day. The company focuses on where its own actions have physical effects and concentrates on five areas of activity: Product range, employees, environment, society, and business partners.
Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the leading sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with close to 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
Wanda Sports Group is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Led by President & Vice Chairman Philippe Blatter, Wanda Sports incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.