Berloni to furnish 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin

berloni will furnish the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. The company, founded in 1960 in Pesaro, is renowned all over the world for its prestigious furniture. It now joins other prestigious Italian sponsors of these Games.

The agreement, signed between Berloni president Antonio Berloni and Toroc (Torino Olympics Organising Committee) director general Paolo Rota, means that the company will furnish the three Olympic villages in Turin, Sestriere and Bordonecchia, five media villages (excluding the one at the Turin Bit), the Main Press Centre, 17 press rooms, the vip lounge and the new Torec headquarters.

Berloni will produce no fewer than 8,500 cupboards and cabinets, beds, mattresses and chairs, 2,100 armchairs, 4,100 dressing tables and other bathroom equipment.

In the main press room, there will be 1,800 chairs and working tables, while another 6,970 tables and 20,000 chairs will furnish the press rooms and competition areas.

Mr Rota said: "Thanks to Berloni, our team is being enriched by a strategic partner, firstly in economic terms - Berloni has decided to support the values of Olympics and Italian sport - and secondly for the furniture quality, which will give athletes, journalists and guests service of the highest standard.

"The Italian tradition in this sector made us look for a partner who is both high profile and also has a great tradition behind it. The new furnishings for Toroc, which will start operations in the coming weeks, will allow us to appreciate the high quality of Berloni products."

Berloni's sponsorship means that the company also becomes part of Italian Olympic sport, as sponsor of the national squads that will participate in Athens in 2004 and Turin in 2006. Moreover, it will also be official sponsor for the Italian Ice Skating Federation and the Italian Federation for Sports for the Disabled.

Founded by brothers Antonio and Marcello Berloni, the company (www.berloni.it) is leader of a group which includes 16 companies, 432 employees and a total turnover last year of almost €79 million.

Following its experience and success in the kitchen sector, the company has developed solutions for every type of environment in the home or office. It has 850 shops in Italy and its products are available in over 50 countries.

The name of Berloni is already familiar in Turin and the world of sport. In the Eighties, the company lent its name to Auxilium basketball, which made it to the 1985/86 semi-finals. Berloni also sponsored boxing and furnished the clinic for 125 and 250 cc motorcycling drivers. Recently, it also sponsored Settimana Tricolore, a cycling event.

"We believe that our company spirit is very close to Olympic values," Antonio Berloni said, "and there have been numerous occasions when our company supported important sporting events, both at a national and international level."