Global supermarket chain Lidl's French division has engaged in several major partnerships with French handball this year and has ambitions to continue supporting the sport on a local and national level in the coming years. Lidl France was announced as the naming sponsor for France's top-tier Division 1 handball league in June and it recently furthered its reach into the sport by sponsoring the French men’s and women’s national team and signing Paris St. Germain Handball star NIKOLA KARABATIC as a brand ambassador. Lidl France Communications Dir NICOLAS CALO answered questions on the company’s strategic partnerships within French handball.
On Lidl France ... Nicolas Calo: Lidl is a company that has been present in France since 1989, we’re a supermarket with more than 1,500 stores throughout the country. We have 25 regional offices that can deliver products every day for customers to purchase. Since 2012, we have launched a huge strategic shift in leaving the “hard-discount” market to become a chain based on proximity.
On Lidl France’s handball partnerships ... Calo: We are uniquely present in handball, it was a strategic choice on our part. We are partners with the French Handball Federation (FFHB) including highlighting on the jerseys of the French men’s and women’s national teams with our Envia (dairy) and Saguaro (water) brands. There is also the National Handball League (LNH) which we partnered with before the FFHB. We started as an official partner and today we have the Lidl Starligue. These are two complementary partnerships, we chose handball because the sport has common values with Lidl: team spirit, cohesion, surpassing oneself and the territorial coverage of the professional and amateur clubs is important. They are present throughout the territory, just like our stores. Each regional office could become a supporter of a Lidl Starligue or Pro Ligue club.
On Lidl France’s goals for its sponsorships ... Calo: We really have an interest in handball because it is an accessible sport for everyone. In 2012, we invited (France men’s team Manager) CLAUDE ONESTA to talk about his experience managing and give certain messages to our teams and everything started from there. Handball’s accessible positive values in terms of image is important. Our desire was to also shine throughout the country and our partnerships allow that. We wanted to show the range of Lidl. We are in a win/win relationship with the league and the federation.
On Lidl France’s strategy in handball ... Calo: There is, of course, the on-court logo visibility, center-court logo with Lidl Starligue, LED panels, interview panels, etc., but we did not want to sign a blank check. We wanted to go even further. We proposed a fanzone at each Lidl Starligue and team France match. We built a fanzone kit that we sent to clubs so that there is a brand presence at each match as well as entertainment. We also have an HR aspect of our strategy. We have, for example, brought in a former goalie for Nancy as a store manager. We also have media content online at madeinhand.fr, where we assemble LNH and FFHB news and interviews with different pro and amateur club sections offering activations. We can make precise targeting to reach people where they live.
On Lidl France’s interest in the Handball World Championships in France this January ... Calo: At the moment, it’s in the pipeline. Handball is 365 days a year for Lidl.
.ashx)
