Cadbury has signed a sponsorship agreement with the oldest professional football club in the world, Notts County Football Club.
The deal differs from most in the industry as Cadbury will donate its advertising opportunities from the partnership to local Nottingham based businesses most affected by the pandemic.
By amplifying local businesses who are in need of exposure and returning custom as they start to open again, Cadbury and Notts County hope that this unique sponsorship arrangement will aid the economic recovery of both local businesses and the Nottinghamshire area as a whole.
The first such business is UK & Continental coach operator, Sharpes of Nottingham, who has received the prestigious front of shirt sponsorship for Nott County’s home kit, after it saw its business grind to a halt as a result of the lockdown. The loss of bookings has resulted in an ’18 month winter’, with no summer 2020 business expected and almost all of the team on furlough. The business is now looking at how it will adapt for a socially distanced future, including the return of travelling Notts County fans to away games once fans are allowed in stadiums again. But there will be a long period ahead before the coach operator can operate efficiently and at capacity again.
The first opportunity for Sharpes of Nottingham to enjoy having their branding on Notts County’s kit, and the unprecedented exposure that comes with it, will be during this weekend’s National League Play-Off Final at Wembley live on BT Sport at 3pm. The deal also secures the ongoing relationship between the family run Sharpes of Nottingham and Notts County F.C. by guaranteeing the travel logistics for both the team and supporters who use official club travel throughout the duration of the contract.
James Sharpe, Operations Director of Sharpes of Nottingham shared: “This is simply amazing news that has provided some light during a dark time for us. Our fleet hasn’t turned a wheel since 23rd March, which has hugely impacted us as a family run business. It is an honour to be the home kit sponsor of Notts County Football Club and we can’t thank Cadbury and the club enough for this act of generosity and the difference it will make. We are so excited for the future, and the new season!”
Another Nottingham based organisation to benefit from the deal is the city’s historic Cattle Market and its traders. Cadbury and Notts County will be working with the Arthur Johnson and Sons Auction House, which owns the market, to select traders and businesses most in need of support after the market opened its gates again to traders and shoppers earlier this month after a three month closure.
Nottingham based Treetop Catering has also been selected to receive advertising opportunities through the sponsorship arrangement, after they saw the cancellation of all business when events were cancelled or postponed due to the lockdown and social distancing restrictions.
Notts County CEO, Jason Turner, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to continue our trend of launching innovative sponsorship campaigns by teaming up with an incredible global brand in Cadbury to help three fantastic local businesses. Sharpes, Arthur Johnson and Sons and Treetop are all companies we know well and who we have of course been concerned about throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, so to be able to help them in this way is brilliant. We’d like to warmly welcome Cadbury and the three beneficiaries on board.”
Nick Rogers, Senior Brand Manager at Cadbury added: “We are extremely excited to work with Notts County on this unique partnership, which builds on our other collaborations with football clubs across the UK, and deepens the positive impact we are able to make in communities across the country. Cadbury was founded on an ethos of generosity that we still live by today and we’re very proud of what this partnership with Notts County will achieve in the local community, particularly in driving economic recovery of those in the local area.”
