Bayern Munich, champions of German men’s soccer’s top-tier Bundesliga, have today (July 4) announced a commercial agreement with the multinational retail corporation Schwarz Group.
Through the deal, the XM Cyber and StackIt IT products, as well as the environmental service provider PreZero and the Saskia mineral water brand manufactured by Schwarz, will become partners of the Bavarian soccer heavyweights.
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PreZero has already been Bayern’s chosen waste provider at the team’s Allianz Arena home stadium for three years, and with this deal will in future “take over the entire waste management at FC Bayern locations.”
Saskia, meanwhile, will be delivered to the Allianz and to all club locations in the future, while StackIt and XM Cyber will both aim to support Bayern in terms of its digitalization.
Andreas Jung, board member for marketing at Bayern Munich, said: “We are delighted that the companies of the Schwarz Group – PreZero, StackIt, and XM Cyber – will become partners of FC Bayern. Furthermore, we are happy about our new beverage cooperation with Saskia.
"The cooperation is long term, and in the areas of circular economy and digitalization it will become the beginning of a mutual path.”
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By GlobalDataThomas Kyriakis, PreZero’s chief executive, added: “We want to use our strengths together and set an example for a more responsible use of resources – both in sport and in society. We are proud to be working intensively with Bayern Munich in the future. Together with the club as well as its fans and partners, we want to raise awareness for the circular economy.”
Rolf Schumann, Schwarz Digital’s chief exec, also commented, saying: “With their individual and scalable solutions, StackIt and XM Cyber offer Bayern Munich the optimal conditions for digital transformation … We are delighted to be able to support the German record champions in this development.”
Last week, Bayern let their sleeve sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways expire after five years.
Qatar Airways became the team’s sleeve sponsor in February 2018, succeeding Doha’s Hamad International Airport, which the company manages. The airline then became a platinum partner of the club at the end of the 2017-18 season when Bayern's contract with German airline Lufthansa expired.
However, the agreement has drawn criticism from fans, who have voiced their anger about the club being sponsored by a country facing allegations of human rights violations, including LGBTQ+ rights and the treatment of migrant workers.
Bayern’s main commercial partner list still includes brands such as Audi, T-Mobile, adidas, and Allianz.
Elsewhere, English soccer’s Premier League champions Manchester City have announced the expansion of an existing commercial deal with Asahi Super Dry, the Japanese beer’s alcohol-free brand.
That beverage is now the club’s official training kit partner, in an expansion of a tie-up between the two parties that began in August last year.
The brand’s logo will now be featured on the front of all men’s and women’s first team training kits for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Esteve Calzada, chief commercial officer at the City Football Group, said: “Manchester City looks to engage with leading global brands within their respective industries and Asahi Super Dry is no different. Not only does Asahi Super Dry align with our values but also allows us to explore further expansion in key markets for the club.
“This partnership has been incredibly successful so far and Asahi Super Dry has been an integral part of celebrations last season – whether in Manchester, Istanbul or elsewhere – we look forward to developing further exciting opportunities throughout this new agreement.”
Since the partnership began, Asahi Super Dry has put its name to City’s prestigious Tunnel Club VIP experience at the Etihad Stadium, while the product has also been made available throughout the ground.
Late last week, City expanded its commercial partnership with cryptocurrency exchange OKX. That brand is now the official sleeve partner of the Manchester club – who also won the pan-European UEFA Champions League last season – for 2023-24.
