Watchmaker Hublot said that Alex Ferguson’s retirement as ManU manager "contributed to its decision to end five years" sponsoring the club, according to Paul Jarvis of BLOOMBERG. Hublot Chair Jean-Claude Biver said, "We had a certain disappointment when I heard that Sir Alex was going to retire. That fact that Sir Alex was going to put a certain distance between him and Manchester, and still be involved but not anymore at the same level of command, was an element that helped us to make a change after five years." Biver said that the "arrival of several new sponsors at ManU was another reason behind Hublot’s decision not to renew its association." Pepsi last month "joined a list of more than 30 sponsors of the club, following last year's addition of Chevrolet." Biver: "When a new partner is coming in, sometimes they might not have the same coherence." Biver said that "Hublot has no regrets over the partnership with Manchester United, which more than paid for itself in advertising and sales." Biver: "Manchester United was a golden contract for us. It was really one of the best contracts I ever did." Football will remain "the biggest element of sponsorship spending for Hublot, which last year entered a partnership with European champion Bayern Munich." Biver said that Hublot is "also a corporate sponsor of the 2016 European championships and the next three World Cup tournaments." Biver added that football represents 40% of Hublot's sponsorship budget, "compared with 30 percent for Formula 1 and 20 percent for basketball." Biver said that Hublot's "biggest sponsorship agreement is with Ferrari" (BLOOMBERG, 8/15).
