B&Q Ends Program Offering Sponsorship Of British Athletes

B&Q Will Not Renew Deal That Provided Furniture, Fittings For British Olympic Team

U.K.-based retailer B&Q yesterday announced that it will end its Olympic Ambition program, which "allowed promising athletes to work flexible hours at B&Q stores so they could train effectively," as a result of "cuts prompted by the financial crisis," according to Paul Kelso of the London TELEGRAPH. The announcement came as the British Olympic Association (BOA) confirmed that its separate sponsorship deal with B&Q, which expired at the end of '08, "would not be renewed in the run up" to the '12 London Olympics. B&Q provided the BOA with "furniture and fittings for the British team" at the Beijing Games, but the retailer, "in the light of the worsening financial climate, have decided against extending their deal." The BOA's contract with Michelob "has also expired" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/14). In London, Ben Smith noted B&Q "sponsored around a dozen Olympians, Paralympians and aspiring athletes" (TIMESONLINE.co.uk, 1/13). The AP's Rob Harris reported the BOA "could plug the gap through its partnership with companies in the FTSE 100-share index." Olympic sports will be "assisted through skills and knowledge transfer, with British Gas working with field hockey, Marks & Spencer with modern pentathlon and British Airways with some snow sports" (AP, 1/13).