São Paulo Get Much Needed Sponsorship Deal with Semp Toshiba

Brazillian club São Paulo has agreed to a R$53M ($26M) sponsorship deal with electronics manufacturer Semp Toshiba through the end of 2014 season.

The club had gone eight months without a primary sponsor but will now have the company’s logo on the front and back of its uniform. The deal is worth a club record R$23M ($11.3M) annually. Previous sponsor BMG paid R$22M during its first year sponsoring the club from Sept. 2009-Sept. 2010. In addition to having its logo on the team’s jerseys, the company will have a store in the Morumbi Stadium as well as the option of running marketing campaigns in partnership with the club 

MEIO&MENSAGEM reported that the agreement was announced Wednesday night, shortly before the club kicked off against fellow Brasileiro club Internacional at the Morumbi Stadium. The Semp Toshiba logo “was already stamped on the front and back of the uniforms” for the match. The company previously sponsored Santos from 2007-09.

UOL.com.br’s Renan Prates reported that during the press conference, São Paulo Marketing VP Julio Casares “admitted the club is also negotiating with a number of suppliers.” It had been rumored that the club’s partnership with sportswear manufacturer Reebok, which expires at the end of the year, was not going to be renewed. Casares: “We started conversations with a number of companies this week to figure out who will dress São Paulo in the upcoming year.”