Carrefour will not sponsor the polka dot jersey after this year's Tour de France. GETTY IMAGES
French retailer Carrefour decided to not renew two of its “prominent” sponsorship contracts due to expire this year, according to Antoine Boudet of LES ECHOS. Carrefour has been a partner of the French national football team since ’98 and the official sponsor of the King of the Mountains polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France since ’09, but will no longer support either following the end of the World Cup next month and the Tour de France in July. The retailer said that it will remain "engaged" in both sporting events this year. Tour de France organizer Amaury Sport Organisation is “demanding” €8M ($9.2M) a year for four years to sponsor the polka-dot jersey, which is close to three times the current amount. Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard said that he wants the firm to “respond to the aspirations of consumers to eat better,” and plans to pursue partnerships more related to food. Whatever brand replaces Carrefour will join the “Club du Tour,” in the competition’s top rank of sponsorships. Top sponsors include bank LCL, which spends more than €7M ($8M) per year to sponsor the yellow jersey, Czech car maker Skoda, which replaced PMU on the green jersey for €3.5M ($4M) per year, white jersey sponsor Krys and Vittel, which is the official mineral water of the Tour de France (LES ECHOS, 5/28).
