German Supermarket Aldi Signs $14 Million Sponsorship Deal With Team Great Britain

Aldi "has become the first official supermarket sponsor of the British Olympics team" in a deal estimated to be worth £10M ($14.7M), according to Jennifer Faull of THE DRUM. The German discounter "hopes the tie-up cements its position on the British retail scene, having opened its first store 25 years ago." To mark the announcement, Aldi "created an online film showing Team GB athletes Samantha Murray, modern pentathlon, and Liam Phillips, BMX Cyclist, making their way around an Aldi store." The sponsorship of Team GB’s athletes in the build up to and during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games "will push key initiatives" including Get Set, the British Olympic Association’s youth engagement program, and Home-Grown Heroes, an initiative to connect local athletes with their local community. It is the first supermarket to officially back Team GB, "with Sainsbury’s sponsoring the national Paralympics team" (THE DRUM, 3/19).