Soft drinks brand Robinsons and Wimbledon have ended their 86-year-old partnership, one of the longest-running in sport. For nearly nine decades, the drinks company - which is now owned by Britvic - has been synonymous with Wimbledon fortnight, so much so that it launched the slogan “anything else just isn’t tennis” in 1988.
The break-up appears amicable – neither parties have revealed their reasoning for severing ties, according to Grocery Gazette, but there has been speculation that Britvic wanted to promote its other products such as Gatorade, Pepsi Max, Rockstar Energy, J20 and Fruit Shoot – and All England Lawn Tennis Club has appeared opposed to sugary soft drink associations.
The partnership, which dates back to 1935, started when Robinson’s first went into commercial production after the barley water drink created by Eric Smedley Hodgson gained popularity court side.
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Britvic tweeted: “Robinsons is no longer sponsoring Wimbledon fortnight and this year will be celebrating the whole of summer with The Big Fruit Hunt – an interactive opportunity to find virtual fruit and win real prizes..”
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) stated: “After more than 80 years, we can confirm that the partnership between the AELTC and Robinsons has come to an end. We are tremendously proud of the historic association with Robinsons over so many years, and thank them for the wider role they have played in supporting Wimbledon and tennis across the UK.”
The only Wimbledon partnership to surpass Robinsons has been its 120 year link with ball supplier Slazenger. Robinsons will remain the official soft drinks partner of the Hundred – a hundred-ball cricket tournament in England and Wales that was launched last summer.
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