Co-operative Sponsors ITV National Weather

The Co-operative Group has signed the biggest sponsorship deal in the organisation’s history to become the Official Broadcast Sponsor of ITV National Weather.

The 12 month deal with ITV will give Co-operative Food visual and verbal branding before and after the ITV National Weather report which is broadcast three times a day. The Co-operative sponsorship will go live from 1st January 2011 and will replace the current sponsor – Topps Tiles.

With 3,000 stores across the UK, the retailer plans to use the partnership to raise awareness of what its shops have to offer locally and to encourage people to change their shopping habits. The Co-operative Food will also benefit from appearances from the ITV Weather team.

Speaking at the sponsorship launch Tim Hurrell, Managing Director Co-operative Food said “This is a great deal for the Co-operative Food and gives us a unique opportunity to encourage consumers to think about the way they shop. We are not looking at this deal as a simple media spend but as a partnership that will give us a platform to promote local shops, local suppliers and seasonal food.”

David Croft, ITV Director of Regional Sales said, “ITV National Weather has peaked with audiences of up to 7 million viewers in the early evening news slot. This sponsorship is a great brand fit and will give The Co-operative a fantastic opportunity to put its brand in front of a valuable audience on a regular basis.”