A three-year sponsorship deal has been agreed between SPAR UK and British Athletics that will see SPAR UK offer wide-ranging support through to the end of 2020.

As part of the agreement, SPAR UK will become the Title Partner of the British Athletics Indoor Championships for the next three years with the 2018 edition heading back to Birmingham on 17-18 February.

SPAR UK will also act as Events Partner to the end of 2020 to include the Müller Anniversary Games and Müller Grand Prix Birmingham, as well as the Müller Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow in 2018 & 2020 and Birmingham in 2019. This includes supplying meals for the entire workforce, including volunteers. The sponsorship is in line with SPAR International’s commitment to encouraging a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and fresh, nutritious produce.

British Athletics and SPAR UK have a proud history, having worked together to support promising sprinters in the past, notably Olympic and world medallists Martyn Rooney, Desiree Henry, Emily Diamond and European Indoor Champion, Andrew Pozzi. SPAR UK will now provide official backing for all top athletes on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

SPAR has a strong history of supporting athletics with SPAR International having been the principal sponsor of European Athletics since 1996. SPAR UK will bring the SPAR Nutrition Zone to British Athletics events, making athletics available to children of all ages through its SPARK Kids Athletics Park, which works with the Female Coaching Network. The sponsorship will also be visible across its network of 2,700 stores in the UK.

Commenting on the new partnership, Niels de Vos, Chief Executive at British Athletics, said: “We are delighted to welcome back SPAR UK to the athletics family for the next three years and we look forward to working with them as we aim to build on the success of 2017 both on and off the track. As demonstrated throughout 2017, there is huge support and enthusiasm from the British public for athletics and partnerships like this one reflect that and the strong position the sport finds itself in as we build towards Tokyo 2020.”

Debbie Robinson, SPAR UK Managing Director, said: “SPAR has a proud tradition of supporting athletics and we are delighted to reignite our relationship with British Athletics. We hope that by working together we can help the current crop of athletics stars on the road to Tokyo, as well as discover future local talent in the communities our stores serve.”

These are the British Athletics events featuring the SPAR partnership in 2018:

• Saturday 17 February – Sunday 18 February: SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships, Birmingham
• Sunday 25 February: Müller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow
• Saturday 30 June – Sunday 1 July: British Athletics Championships, Birmingham
• Saturday 21 July – Sunday 22 July: Müller Anniversary Games, London
• Saturday 18 August: Müller Grand Prix Birmingham

About SPAR UK

The United Kingdom became a member of SPAR in 1956. There are five regional partners in the UK with strategically placed Distribution Centres in each region. A Central Office located in London provides national Marketing and Buying services for the group and supports the development of the SPAR Brand in the UK.

SPAR is the UK’s leading convenience retailer with a combined turnover in excess of £12 billion. SPAR celebrated its 60th anniversary in the UK in 2017.