Companies of Schwarz Group and Handball-Bundesliga Launch Partnership

• Lidl has secured naming rights for the DHB Cup “Final4” tournament and will also be the Fresh Food and Water Partner.
• The cooperation will benefit from the expertise that PreZero delivers in the context of the circular economy, conserving resources and waste management.
• Schwarz Digits facilitates the digital sovereignty and cybersecurity for the league.

Neckarsulm, October 23^rd, 2024 – The companies of Schwarz Group will be entering into a long-term strategic partnership with the Handball-Bundesliga (HBL) as of 2025. The cooperation covers a range of areas, such as healthy and conscious nutrition, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, cloud services as well as the circular economy and sustainability. The aim of the partnership is to work together and set new standards for digital infrastructure and waste management in the league, focusing on innovation, digitalization and sustainability.

“The companies of Schwarz Group form a unique ecosystem and generate a diverse range of synergies for the sport. As such, we are pursuing a holistic approach – moving toward long-term sporting partnerships rather than just pure sponsoring. We want to deliver convincing content for the HBL, the strongest handball league in the world, and provide real impetus,” explains Marc Hohenberg, Sports Marketing Vice President at Schwarz Group.

“We are very proud of the fact that Lidl, PreZero and Schwarz Digits are clearly declaring their support for our Handball Bundesliga, and thus significantly strengthening and expanding their handball sponsoring activities. This is an unequivocal indication that professional handball is becoming ever more important, not just for one of the leading international retail groups, but also in sports marketing in general. It is certainly the case that the values and the sustainable orientation of the companies of Schwarz Group and the Handball-Bundesliga are a very good match, as we also represent quality, performance, growth, and customer focus, both inside Germany and beyond. These are excellent prerequisites for a sustainable, successful partnership. I am particularly looking forward to the ‘Lidl Final4’ in the DHB Cup. We will fascinate millions of viewers in more than 60 countries during the highlight of the season. Alongside title sponsor Lidl, we are aiming to use the wide appeal of this event to offer a unique experience to the fans,” emphasizes HBL CEO Frank Bohmann.

Lidl: Perfect Partner for Fresh Food

As “Official Fresh Food Partner”, Lidl provides the HBL and all HBL events with fruit and vegetables. The fresh food discounter is also the “Official Water Partner” of the handball professionals. This underlines how Lidl is making a commitment to balanced nutrition and exercise. Together with the HBL, the food retailer is aiming to inspire handball fans to adopt an active, conscious lifestyle. Moreover, Lidl private label “Saskia” mineral water will also be provided by the Schwarz Produktion beverage network in closed-loop bottles.

The partnership means that the DHB Cup “Final4” tournament will be named the “Lidl Final4” in future. This represents another significant landmark in the cooperation, strengthening the presence of Lidl as a handball partner. The cooperation also enables Lidl to extend its long-term commitment to handball. Lidl has been a partner of the DHB men’s teams ever since 2016. The retail division has been involved in men’s World and European Championships since 2017, and in women’s World and European Championships since 2022.

PreZero: Champion of the Circular Economy

The environmental division PreZero will become the official Circular Economy partner of the HBL, supporting the transformation of professional handball in Germany toward more waste prevention and conservation of resources, as well as more efficient management of recyclable materials. Handball venues are an ideal location for tackling sustainable visions, realizing these collectively and increasing public awareness of waste separation and recycling. As such, the “Lidl Final4” season highlight is set to become a characteristic flagship when executing sustainable, large-scale sporting events. The partnership will also focus on agreeing collective master conditions to continuously reduce the level of non-recyclable waste.

Schwarz Digits: Stable Block for Digital Sovereignty

Schwarz Digits with XM Cyber will be the “Official Cyber Security Partner” of the HBL, while Schwarz Digits with STACKIT will be the “Official Cloud Service Partner” of the HBL. The division will contribute to the digital sovereignty of the league with digital products and solutions that meet the exacting data protection standards in Germany. Services from STACKIT and XM Cyber will be deployed at HBL events as well as at the league offices. As IT and Digital Partner of the HBL, Schwarz Digits will also be developing collective digitalization projects in the areas of communication, data security, and cybersecurity in future.