Following the news that Trek-Segafredo are to become Lidl-Trek from the Tour de France onwards, Team DSM are also set for a new identity after their title sponsor merged with Swiss company Firmenich.
The new company, DSM-Firmenich, is set to lend its name to the men's, women's and development teams from mid-June onwards, reports WielerFlits, with the new team name, a rebrand, and a new kit set to be in place ahead of the Tour.
DSM, a Dutch chemical corporation which specialises in health, nutrition and materials, confirmed the 'merger of equals' on Tuesday, ending a process that began last May.
Firmenich is a Swiss company which produces flavourings and fragrances. The newly merged company will employ 30,000 people and, according to a company press release, will be a 'trailblazer in the reinvention, manufacturing, and combination of vital nutrients, flavours, and fragrances'.
While DSM's contract to sponsor the two WorldTour teams and Continental development squad ends in 2024, the merger isn't set to affect the sponsorship going forward. The deal is expected to continue past the end of 2024, with DSM having previously expressed interest in continuing to fund the team structure.
The team have been part of the professional peloton since their founding in 2005 as Shimano-Memory Corp, with a women's squad founded five years later and the development team joining the Continental ranks in 2017. DSM took over the title sponsorship for all three teams from package holiday provider Sunweb in 2021.
Congratulations @dsmfirmenich on your merger and a warm welcome to all new colleagues! 🤗#KeepChallenging pic.twitter.com/kq0H5RPrNMMay 10, 2023
It remains to be seen how the teams will rebrand next month. Both DSM and Firmenich feature brightly coloured logos, though the branding for the newly merged conglomerate is more minimalist and low-key.
Elsewhere, US squad Trek-Segafredo are set to add Lidl as a title sponsor from July onwards, though last week's reports were described as "rumours" by the team.
Teams adding new sponsors and switching up their kits is an established part-and-parcel of the lead-in the Tour de France, with teams increasingly doing the same for the Giro d'Italia.
Last year, Alpecin-Fenix added Deceuninck as a co-title sponsor, while Trek-Segafredo switched from white to a dark blue kit and Lotto Soudal added blue highlights from their now-co-title sponsor Dstny.
EF Education-EasyPost, Bora-Hansgrohe, and Jumbo-Visma also brought in new kits for the Tour, with the Dutch squad having already announced a 'sky full of dreams' kit for this year's race.
EF, Israel-Premier Tech and Intermarché-Circus-Wanty are all racing in special edition kits at this year's Giro, while Team Corratec added Selle Italia as title sponsor in the lead-in to the race.
