Bath Rugby has agreed a major deal with Bristol e-commerce tech company Huboo.
The partnership will see Huboo, which was founded in Bath and now has offices and warehouses across the Bristol city region, become the e-commerce partner of the club as part of a multi-year agreement.
The company will be responsible for fulfilment for all Bath Rugby clothing and merchandise sold through its online shop, as well as being the club’s official training wear sponsor.
Martin Bysh, who lives in Bath and is chief executive and co-founder of Huboo, said: “We felt that this was a truly authentic partnership for us, given that we first breathed life into Huboo from a garage in Bath - this is where our roots lie.
"Bath Rugby is so central to the city and its people and it has a great ethos with a focus on community, teamwork and solidarity, which match our core values.”
According to Huboo, the partnership will see it using its technology to boost Bath Rugby’s retail arm of the business, including streamlining its online orders and improving the overall customer service experience.
Bath Rugby chief executive Tarquin McDonald said: "Huboo has achieved phenomenal growth in recent years, underpinned by an innovative approach, the adoption of new technologies and a strong customer focus.
"We align strongly with Huboo’s values and forward-thinking approach, and we are proud to partner with Huboo, its founders and staff."
Bath Rugby’s chief operating Alex Cohen said the deal represented a "fantastic opportunity" for both businesses.
"Not only are we very much looking forward to working with the Huboo team on a sponsorship basis, but we’re delighted to be using them going forward to support us in our retail operation, fulfilling the online orders we receive and really stepping forward our abilities in this area," he said.
"Huboo is at the forefront of this industry and we know they are going to make a huge difference to how we look after the fans who use our online shop.”
The partnership is due to start this month.
Paul Dodd, Huboo’s co-founder and chief technology officer, added: "There’s a palpable synergy between our trajectories that we simply couldn’t ignore. This includes our ambitious strategic growth plans, which will lead to exciting times ahead for everyone involved.”
The news comes just weeks after Huboo announced it would become Bristol Sport's new principal partner from the start of the 2022/23 season.
Huboo, which describes itself as the "Amazon of the West Country", was founded in 2017 from two secure storage rooms at a Safestore in Bath. The company has since grown its operations across Bristol and last year expanded into Europe by opening fulfilment centres in The Netherlands and Spain.
Since 2018, the Huboo's annual turnover has risen from £61,000 to £17m. The firm was identified in a Government report last year as one of three companies within Bristol’s burgeoning tech sector expected to attain a "unicorn" valuation of more than US$1bn over the coming years.
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