Jumbo will stop sponsoring Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen after this season. The Dutch GP in Zandvoort will also have to do without the money from the Veghel supermarket giant next year. The group confirms reporting on this in the AD.
The group wants to stop sponsoring top sports altogether. The step is part of the strategy that the new Jumbo CEO Ton van Veen is presenting to his colleagues this week. Van Veen is the successor to Frits van Eerd, who is suspected of fraud.
‘Very proud’
In an official statement, Jumbo explains: “Max has now grown into a world star and a real world champion. We are very proud to have been able to experience this up close, but the international stage does not suit Jumbo as a Dutch supermarket with stores in Netherlands and Belgium.”
Max Verstappen is grateful for all the years of support from sponsor Jumbo. So said his manager Raymond Vermeulen. “We knew that a lot was going to change in the field of sponsorship at the company. It had to happen sometime. We especially look back on ten years of successful cooperation. When Max took his first steps in motorsport, Jumbo was behind him. He is very grateful for that.”
‘Sufficient interest’
Sporting director Jan Lammers regrets that Jumbo is stopping financial support for the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, although he expects that a successor can be found soon. “There is sufficient interest from sponsors,” says Lammers, who praises the company’s special attitude. “Jumbo has always shared the success with the community. They have therefore been of great value. It is a pity that it all turned out this way.”
Lammers refers to the arrest of former Jumbo boss Frits van Eerd: “His whole life has been turned upside down. But it is still not clear whether it is a criminal offense. It will soon become clear in five years that this is not the case and so much has been lost.”
Billiards
Exactly how much money is involved in Jumbo’s sponsorship has not been disclosed. Jumbo now wants to focus mainly on local initiatives with its sponsorship. The chain also remains a partner of the King’s Breakfast and the King’s Games that are organized annually. In the sports world, Jumbo is also active in sponsoring billiards. Whether the company wants to continue with that sports sponsorship is still being considered. According to Jumbo, ‘no decision has yet been made about this.’
Another consequence of this new strategy is that cycling and skating team Jumbo-Visma may get a different main sponsor after this season. The contract runs until the end of next year and will be respected. If another major sponsor wants to join after this season, Jumbo is open to an earlier departure as main sponsor.