Cadbury And Arsenal Global Partnership Kicks Off With Hyper Local Focus

Mondelēz International, owner of chocolate brand Cadbury, has announced a global partnership making Cadbury the Official Snack Partner of Arsenal Football Club. 

Taking an unusual approach to the brand partnership, Cadbury and Arsenal will concentrate their initial attention on Arsenal fan favourite and local landmark, the Little Wonder Cafe. The cafe was forced to close its doors to customers for the first time in its 100-year history during lockdown and has been struggling for financial survival due to the loss of match day and local custom. 

Such a focus seems unlikely for a partnership between two global brands, however the brand says that it embodies the shared heritage and beliefs of Arsenal FC and Cadbury - a pioneering and innovative spirit that looks to do things differently.

Whilst its doors have been closed to dining-in customers, owners of the Little Wonder Cafe Murat and Ferhat Eric returned to the cafe, establishing it as a vital hub for the club’s Arsenal in the Community workers, who have continued their initiatives to support local north London residents throughout the pandemic. To help sustain this continued support of the club’s community workers, Cadbury will be donating 500 meal vouchers to the Little Wonder Cafe.

Whilst the cafe has now reopened to the public, customer numbers are down 85%, capacity at the cafe has been reduced to allow for social distancing measures to be put in place, and customers’ eating habits have changed, with many selecting smaller, quicker orders. 

To recognise the role the cafe has and continues to play in supporting the local community, and helping ensure its future, Cadbury will donate digital advertising opportunities from the club partnership to the Little Wonder Cafe, to help drive wide awareness, return custom and match day footfall when fans return to the stadium. This includes email newsletters, digital advertising and match day programmes. 

Murat Eric, joint-owner of the Little Wonder Cafe, said: “This generous donation means a lot to us. From a business perspective, it will bring more people to the cafe, whether a local coming in or new visitors that may become regulars. From an advertising side, we haven’t been able to do anything like this in the past, so a big thank you to Cadbury and Arsenal. This makes us feel a lot more confident about our future.”

Ian Wright, Arsenal legend and Cadbury ambassador, helped launch the collaboration between club, Cadbury and the Little Wonder Cafe, with his own menu special named after him added to the cafe menu to commemorate the occasion. He explained: “The Little Wonder Cafe is like so many local businesses that survive on match day trade, and with recent games being held behind closed doors, the local community has been hit hard. I am so happy that Cadbury are lending a hand to help a local family run business bounce back. The Little Wonder Cafe holds a very special place in my heart and it’s an honour to be involved and have the Ian Wright Special on the menu too!”

Moreover, not forgetting the fans, the first 500 customers to eat at the cafe following the sponsorship announcement will receive bespoke Arsenal branded bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk, on a first come first served basis, to reward their support of such a pivotal local business. 

Samantha Greenwood, Global Brand Director at Cadbury added: “This partnership marks the coming together of three businesses that believe in generosity and the difference we can make together. We are excited that through our sponsorship of Arsenal Football Club, we can make such a difference to the Little Wonder Cafe, and all together, the Islington area. Small businesses play a pivotal cultural and economic role in the recovery of local communities, and the UK as a whole, so we are proud to do our part in supporting them.”  

Arsenal Commercial Director, Peter Silverstone, said: “Cadbury and Arsenal are both rooted in supporting and nurturing the community, and it’s brilliant we can use our partnership to help a local Islington business get back on its feet. We are excited to carry forward the community spirit of giving back as we look to do things differently throughout our partnership together.”

In addition to supporting the fan favourite cafe, Cadbury will also be offering Arsenal fans unique access to their club throughout the duration of the relationship through a series of activities that fans can look out for over the coming months and seasons.  

The first such promotion will be Cadbury’s Match and Win promotion, returning for its fourth and biggest year in late August, running across more than 180 million Cadbury products. Fans will have the chance to win millions of club prizes, including hospitality experiences, match tickets and vouchers redeemable in the club’s Armoury and Online Store, as well as Cadbury prizes.