Japanese electronics manufacturer becomes latest sponsor

Last Friday, an Austrian paper had mistakenly reported that Epson had purchased Manchester United, because it had convened a press conference to announce a “Manu Acquisition”.

Today, the club officially announced that it had agreed a new sponsorship deal with the Japanese electronics giant.

From www.ManUtd.com:

The agreement, which starts immediately, sees Epson, one of the leading manufacturers of printers, projectors and scanners worldwide, supply United with its equipment throughout Old Trafford. The deal will see Epson align its brand with the club and raise its profile in Europe and globally where the Reds are followed. The partnership was launched at Old Trafford on Friday, ahead of Saturday’s game against Blackburn, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, chief executive David Gill and the entire first team squad in attendance.

Speaking at the launch, Epson’s Global President, Mr Minoru Usui, said: “The partnership with Manchester United aligns Epson with an exciting and globally recognised brand, bringing us closer to our customers worldwide. Leading the way through constant creativity and innovation both brands share a commitment to achieving the highest standards. Our vision to excite and inspire customers is represented by United’s success on the pitch and the unique printer and projector technologies for which Epson is renowned.”

Epson expects the agreement to allow the brand to get closer to its customers and their passions. Epson believes in giving something back to the communities in which it operates and there are strong synergies with United, who also have a strong community spirit and are well-known for their local community programmes.

Reds’ chief executive David Gill added: “We are delighted to have Epson as one of our commercial partners and are looking forward to developing an exciting communications programme that helps us both achieve our business goals. Epson is a superb global brand, that sits perfectly alongside our existing partners.”

About Epson
Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader that is dedicated to exceeding the vision of customers worldwide through its compact, energy-saving, high-precision technologies, with a product line-up ranging from printers and 3LCD projectors for business and the home, to electronic and crystal devices.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises over 80,000 employees in 102 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates. http://global.epson.com

About Epson Europe
Epson Europe B.V., based in Amsterdam, is the Group’s regional headquarters for Europe,
Middle-East, Russia, and Africa. With a workforce of 2,400 employees, Epson Europe’s sales for fiscal year 2009 were 1,875 million Euros. http://www.epson-europe.com/