Uniqlo asserts position in sports-leisure sector with Parisian race sponsorship

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
May 23, 2017

Last year the Parisian 10km race '10 kilomètres L'Equipe' attracted over 21,000 participants. For its 2017 edition, which will take place on 11 June, the racecourse, which snakes around the French capital, should attract over 20,000 runners. With its short format, the latter will include expert runners as well as beginners.

It is an ideal opportunity for Uniqlo, who is becoming the major sponsorship partner for the race this year. In this new role the Japanese brand will benefit from the high visibility of the race; visuals announcing the event and a stand at the 'sports village' in the Bastille area of Paris. At the event, the brand will also present its Uniqlo Sport collection, a versatile athleisure range.

The sponsorship demonstrates a new approach for the brand, which has not stamped its ambitions on events of this type in Europe before, despite having sponsored high-level sportsmen such as tennis player Kei Nishikori and partnering with similar races in Thailand.