Visma confirms future commitment to Jumbo-Visma squad
'As long as both parties see common value in this collaboration, that will not change'
Business software provider Visma has confirmed its interest in maintaining sponsorship title status at Jumbo-Visma, stating that the company's future with the Dutch team has not changed amidst rumours of a possible merger with Belgian team Soudal-QuickStep.
Soudal, a sealant and adhesive manufacturer, have already said they would be keen to stay on board as a backer in the event of a fusion between the two teams.
A potential mega-merger is mooted to result in a new 'Soudal-Visma' squad, though specific details about the team, should it finally be created, and future sponsorship deals have yet to appear.
Norwegian company Visma is keen to continue as part of the Dutch squad's project, echoing Soudal's comments about the two teams potentially joining forces.
Speaking to WielerFlits, the company's director of content and sponsorship said that the deal to sponsor the team has a "long-term perspective" that should be ongoing.
"In terms of the future, we entered into this sponsorship in 2019 with a long-term perspective," said Anne-Grethe Thomle Karlsen. "As long as both parties see common value in this collaboration, that will not change."
Thomle Karlsen, who didn't comment on the potential merger or any outcomes in terms of sponsorship deals, said that Visma's deal with the team has "significantly increased brand awareness" of Visma, thanks to the team's huge sporting successes over the years. She noted that both the company's reputation and online traffic have greatly increased as a result of sponsoring the Dutch squad.
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"There are many ways to measure the effect of sponsorship, and we see in all measurements that Visma's reputation has increased," she said. "We also see a big increase in traffic to our websites and blog articles during the Tour de France, for example, with almost 20 times our normal web traffic.
"Visma has developed over the past ten years from a mainly Scandinavian to a pan-European company. It is important for us to have a sponsorship that all of our 14,500 employees in 27 countries can agree with. Cycling is a popular sport with an international impact."
It looks sure, then, that Visma will play a major role in the future of Jumbo-Visma, regardless of what form the team takes regarding the merger. Soudal – who, like QuickStep have a deal with the Belgian squad running through the end of 2027 – hope to remain as title sponsor, too, the company told Het Laatste Nieuws recently.
Jumbo, however, is set to pull out of the team's sponsorship deal. The Dutch supermarket chain had announced they would be leaving at the end of 2024, leaving behind the future funding gap that the team is attempting to solve with the merger.
The new-look team will also be able to count on a sponsorship deal with American tech giant Amazon, too. Reports in Dutch media suggested a €15m deal and a place as a non-title sponsor for 2024.
However, a recent report by Escape Collective stated that the multi-million Euro figure isn't a set monetary figure but rather one of "prospective 'media value'".
Jumbo-Visma, who star in the Amazon Prime series 'All-in Team Jumbo-Visma' wouldn't make a comment on the potential Amazon deal when contacted by Cyclingnews on Tuesday.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.