Baker & McKenzie scores with Boon Rawd for Man Utd tie-up
Baker & McKenzie has advised Thailand-based Boon Rawd Brewery in its £6m sponsorship deal with Manchester United FC.
Boon Rawd Brewery, which owns the Singha Beer brand, has secured exclusive rights to supply lager at the Old Trafford stadium as part of the three-year deal.
It also has also the rights to display the Singha logo on touchline advertising boards, use the Manchester United FC emblem and logo, and collaborate on football development projects.
The Baker & McKenzie team featured London partner Michelle Blunt and senior associate Edward Barker, along with Bangkok-based senior associate Preeda Meksrisuwan. They provided advice on the proposed terms of the sponsorship agreements, as well as negotiation and finalisation of the sponsorship terms. The brewer is a long-term of client of Baker & McKenzie’s Bangkok office.
Man Utd’s legal team, led by director of legal affairs Patrick Stewart, handled all aspects of the sponsorship agreement in-house. Last week (19 July), The Lawyer reported that the club had launched a review of its five-strong legal panel.
Barker, who splits his time between the firm’s commercial and IP teams, said: ”Supplying the official lager is only one part of it; the bigger point is the massive exposure [Boon Rawd] gets by partnering Manchester United.”
The deal makes Boon Rawd Brewery, which will replace Budweiser as supplier of the club’s official beer, one of several “global partners” of Man Utd, alongside Audi, Thomas Cook and Betfair.
