28/04/2010 Crufts could look for new sponsor in future

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DFS the furniture retailer secured a sponsorship deal with Crufts the annual show organised by the Kennel Club during 2009. The deal, which commenced in 2009, came at the end of a difficult year for Crufts due to criticism from the BBC which produced a documentary calling in to question the practices of some dog breeders.

However, the deal may be short lived as the owner and chairman of DFS, 65 year old Lord Kirkham, has now decided to sell the company to a private equity firm Advent International for around £300 million. The deal with Crufts was not thought to be on a contractual agreement; rather that it was an informal arrangement. The current arrangement is likely to still run until 2011.

Crufts has been a popular show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for many years and easily attracts more than 160,000 visitors each year. DFS has more than 70 stores nationwide and over 2,600 staff, the business was founded by Lord Kirkham forty years ago. At the time of the deal Lord Kirkham said “Dog shows are a great way to encourage and reward the breeding of healthy dogs and are also a platform for all dog lovers to ensure we achieve our goal of giving dogs happy, healthy lives.”

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