Arrows boss plans chain of retail outlets
Arrows Formula One team owner Malik Ado Ibrahim is planning to open a chain of high street stores in 18 countries to sell merchandise under a new brand, “t-minus”.
Ibrahim bought a 70 per cent stake in the Arrows team at the beginning of this year for &£77m.
The t-minus name already appears on Arrows Grand Prix cars, along with the main sponsor, at present Spanish oil company Repsol, but it has it has remained a brand without a product. Ibrahim has now started licensing the brand.
The first goods include special-edition Ducati motorcycles, Lamborghini cars, Bombardier wet bikes, mountain bikes and an energy drink. These will be followed by an iced tea drink and a line of T-shirts.
Ibrahim aims to open his first shop by the end of the year. He will also sell T-shirts in his native Nigeria and in South Africa as part of his plan to market F1 to black people.
