London 2012 signs up Boots and Shell as retail partners

The London 2012 Olympic bid team is set to sign partnership agreements with Boots and Shell, to distribute its range of branded merchandise.

The bid team is also in talks with broadcasters about creating a series of programme sponsorship spots to support the bid. The short segments are expected to use athletes talking about why they would want the games to come to the UK, and London 2012 hopes they will top and tail programmes on the BBC and ITV.

The deals with Boots and Shell, which, according to insiders at London 2012, are close to completion, will be the first retail backing for the bid. The London team is also in sponsorship talks with a number of supermarket chains.

Boots and Shell will be asked to promote London 2012 merchandise, including clothing and a range of branded items such as enamel pins, mouse-mats and pens.

A source at London 2012 says the range will hopefully become “collectable”. He adds: “This will be the first time the public has been able to show its latent support for the bid in an obvious physical manner.”

The team is in talks with Haymarket about linking up with the publisher’s consumer magazines. Extensive street decoration is expected to be launched later this month, in time for the launch of the Athens Olympics.