Aston Villa have signed a record-breaking kit manufacturing agreement with Italian company Macron, reports SportsPro. The deal will begin at the start of the 2012-13 season and is worth UK£15 million in total.
Macron will become Aston Villa's 'technical sportswear label and official kit manufacturer', replacing current suppliers Nike in a deal that will run until May 2016.
A Villa press release said the club would become Macron's 'flagship' club in the Premier League. Macron will produce over 100 Villa-related product lines. The first Macron-produced Villa kit will be revealed in June.
Faulkner added: "Macron has established its credibility in the development of high-quality performance football apparel and the sales and distribution of licensed products and this new partnership will significantly benefit Aston Villa in the years ahead."
Macron chief executive Gianluca Pavanello added: "Macron is a European company with a successful growth in the UK.
"We are particularly pleased to partner with Aston Villa, a club with great tradition and heritage, with which we share common values which are: a passion for sport, commitment and, most importantly, a focus on product quality.
The Birmingham Mail newspaper quoted Villa merchandising manager John Greenfield as saying the club held talks with "10 sports brands across Europe, America and China over the past six months" before choosing Macron, a company which already makes kits for the likes of West Ham United and Leeds United in England. "Commercially, this is the best deal the club has ever secured with an official kit partner," said Aston Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner. The Nike deal, which ran for five seasons, was worth UK£10 million.
