Brands salute Wiggins on BBC SPOTY win
Fred Perry and Wiggle are the first brands to congratulate Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France Bradley Wiggins after the cycling champion was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year last night (17 December)
The athlete topped the prestigious poll, voted for by members of the British public, ahead of London 2012 heptathlete gold medallist Jessica Ennis and US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray. The BBC reported that over 1.6 million votes were taken during the show, with Wiggins taking 30.25 per cent of the votes polled.
Fred Perry, which signed a six-season deal with Wiggins earlier this year, ran the message “Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year” on its website. The message was also posted on both its Facebook and Twitter profiles.
Cycling retailer Wiggle.com ran a similar message across all its online channels. The business, which is the official retailer for Wiggins’ Team Sky, posted: “Congratulations on winning SPOTY! From the UKs number #1 bike shop.”
The award caps off a remarkable year for the 32-year old, which saw him become the first Briton to win the Tour de France and then clinch gold in the time trial at London 2012 just days later. He becomes the third cyclist in four years to win the award, following Sir Chris Hoy in 2008 and Mark Cavendish in 2011.
Sponsorship experts have predicted that Wiggins’ new found status as one of Britain’s most high-profile athletes could see the Londoner accrue £20m over the next five years.
