Deal in the net as Hearts signs up for Citroen

Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) has just signed a vehicle deal with Citroen Fleet to supply a range of cars for players, coaching staff and management.

The Edinburgh side – seven-time Scottish FA Cup winners and four-time Scottish Champions – is taking delivery of no fewer than 24 Citroen vehicles from its range including the C3 Vibe 1.4i, C4 1.6HDi SX, C5 2.0 HDi SX saloons and top-of-the-range, seven-seater C-Crosser 4x4 cars.

The vehicles have been supplied by Citroen Retail Group Scotland, which has dealerships in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, on two-year LEX contract hire agreements. The deal was brokered by David Reid of M & D Vehicle Management. The new Citroen cars are expected to cover around 20,000 miles, transporting players, ground staff and management to and from the club’s Tynecastle ground and its training facility and football academy at Riccarton, near Edinburgh.

David Southern, Hearts’ marketing and communications director said, “We are delighted to have one of the top automotive brands coming on board. Citroen is indicative of the multi-national partner base that we are building off-field at Hearts. As a club we expect the very best from all our team and we were impressed by Citroen’s value for money proposition, high levels of standard equipment and excellent safety features. In addition the low whole-life costs of these cars was a major consideration. Also, as a big city club, we have to consider the environment and here these new Citroen cars certainly score with their low emissions ratings and excellent fuel economy.”

Citroen Retail Group Scotland will service the cars during the course of the agreement and in exchange will gain exposure to one of the UK's top 20 supported clubs, with a fan base of 400,000 around the world. It will further raise its profile through its association with pitch side advertising alongside some of Hearts’ other commercial tie-ups with leading blue-chip firms including UMBRO, Ukio Bankas, The Scottish Sun, UBIG, Lucozade Sport, Canterbury, Coral and Vittel.

Richard Petherick, Citroen’s area fleet manager Scotland and Northern Ireland, said, “We are delighted that Hearts has recognised the strengths of Citroen including value for money, environmental responsibility and low cost of operation. This is the start of what will hopefully be a table-topping relationship with one of Scotland's leading teams.”