Arsenal sign big kit deal

Arsenal has secured its biggest commercial deal in the form of a five year kit agreement with German sportswear company Puma. Terms were not disclosed, but are believed to be slightly more than the £150m contract signed in 2012 with Emirates to extend the airline’s sports sponsorship and stadium naming arrangements.

Puma will replace Nike as Arsenal’s kit supplier from July, ending a 20 year association. Puma have acquired the rights to produce Arsenal-branded merchandise, as well as the club’s training and first team kits.

Arsenal has secured its biggest commercial deal in the form of a five year kit agreement with German sportswear company Puma. Terms were not disclosed, but are believed to be slightly more than the £150m contract signed in 2012 with Emirates to extend the airline’s sports sponsorship and stadium naming arrangements.

Puma will replace Nike as Arsenal’s kit supplier from July, ending a 20 year association. Puma have acquired the rights to produce Arsenal-branded merchandise, as well as the club’s training and first team kits.

This gives the German group , whose controlling shareholder is French luxury brand Kering, a rare chance to gain a foothold in the top European football club market. Adidas and Nike carve up nearly all kit supply deals with major clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Nike is in a long renegotiation of its contract with Manchester United, which expires next year. Arsenal’s move may have been influenced by concerns about being overshadowed by the proposed deal between Nike and United.

Though direct comparisons can be difficult due to the fine print of deals, Arsenal’s Puma deal eclipses Liverpool’s £25m-a-year contract with Warrior. Real Madrid’s contract with the German brand Adidas is worth £31m a year while Barcelona’s deal with Nike earns them £27m per annum.