Vertu Motors Backs The Boro
Vertu Motors, which operates Honda, BMW and MINI dealerships throughout the North East, is backing the Boro after becoming an Official Car Retailer for Middlesbrough Football Club.
The North East sites – in Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland and Durham – were acquired at the end of 2020, as part of a £28 million acquisition of 12 BMW and MINI sales outlets in five different locations from Inchcape plc.
The deal, which covers the current 2021/2022 season, incorporates matchday activation, digital opportunities, and player appearances throughout the partnership, while there will also be a focus for the brand on ensuring PR and marketing activations across the season.
The North East headquartered company is committed to supporting sport at all levels, and has recently renewed its backing for the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) Fans’ Player of the Month awards.
Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu Motors, said: “We are delighted to expand our football sponsorship portfolio with the addition of Middlesbrough.
“Middlesbrough have huge support and demonstrate a real commitment to their community, which is fundamental to how we want to promote our partnerships, with a number of our car dealerships located in proximity of our new club partner.
“We look forward to working closely with them to bring the Vertu Motors brand to their audiences and support their various football initiatives across the region.”
Lee Fryett, Head of Commercial at Middlesbrough FC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Vertu Motors to Middlesbrough Football Club as a club partner.
“We are excited to work with the Vertu Motors group and are proud to be partnering with one of the largest automotive retail groups in the UK.”
The addition of Middlesbrough FC expands Vertu Motors’ partnerships in sport, which include deals with Sunderland AFC, the Newcastle Eagles basketball team and naming rights for the Eagles’ Vertu Motors Arena in Gateshead, close to the Group’s headquarters.
North of the border, another of the wider Group’s brands, Macklin Motors, has partnerships with Hibernian FC, Heart of Midlothian FC and is a Community Partner of Celtic FC.