Investec Sponsors Long-term Derby Deal

Following the successful launch of the £38m re-development, Epsom Downs Racecourse enjoyed more good news with the announcement that Investec, the leading specialist bank, has agreed to become a long-term partner by sponsoring the Derby Festival until 2013.  
 
The 2009 Derby Festival will be held on 5&6 June at Epsom Downs Racecourse.
 
Epsom Downs Racecourse Managing Director, Nick Blofeld, commented: “We are very excited by the news and believe there is a great fit between the two companies which will mean we are both able to benefit from a long-term relationship.  
 
“These days it is much more about strategic partnerships and there are many ways Investec and Epsom Downs can work together to keep the Derby Festival a hugely successful event but also bring some fresh creativity and reach new audiences.
 
“Investec are a very successful international company and have worked in other sports already, probably best known in the UK is their England Autumn International Rugby sponsorship at Twickenham, The Investec Challenge Series.  
 
“Investec have great respect for the traditions of the Derby and Oaks, but also want to bring such great races and the event to more of their clients and contacts who haven’t yet felt that buzz and excitement.”
 
It really is the start of a new era, with Investec joining shortly after the completion of a successful re-development which was launched on 22 April when Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall, officially opened Epsom’s new Duchess’s Stand.
 
Investec’s UK CEO, Bradley Fried said: “We are delighted to be joining Epsom and the Derby Festival at the beginning of a new era and know that together we will be able to make a great event even better.  
 
“We also have a proud international history and a commitment to developing the companies and sports with which we get involved. The Derby makes sense for us on a number of levels; it has excellent television coverage which adds a new dimension to our brand footprint, the heritage has some quirky elements that suit our positioning of Out of the Ordinary, and there is a natural equine fit with our usage of the Investec Zebra as brand icon.”  
 
The Investec announcement follows soon after the completion of the three-year £38 million re-development programme at Epsom Downs, which finished just ahead of time and on budget. It saw the construction of a new 120-bedroom Holiday Inn Express on-site hotel, the Entrance Pavilion and Duchess’s Stand and also the return to a full calendar of 14 race days for 2009.