The link between Inter and Suning is demonstrated not only by Steven Zhang’s – he is Jindong’s son – continuous presence in Milan but also due to investment made in the First Team, the club’s infrastructure and for the development of youth football in China and Italy. This includes the promotion of Inter Academy across other countries. In December 2016, Suning Holdings Group announced a sponsorship agreement for the First Team and youth training centres at Appiano Gentile. They were renamed the ‘Suning Training Centre in Memory of Angelo Moratti’ and the ‘Suning Youth Development Centre in Memory of Giacinto Facchetti’ respectively. Tradition, history, development, and innovation. With the help of this great organisation, Inter are now heading in the right direction.
Suning will bring an added element of internationality to Inter, following the idea that was first implemented by the club’s founders.
28 years later, the Suning Group is now one of the largest non-governmental retailers in China, making more than €52 billions in annual sales and boasting over 300 million clients. With more than 4000 stores, their commercial activities cover around 600 cities across China, Hong Kong, and Japan. Their continued growth has seen them venture into eight different sectors, including retail, logistics, financial services, technology, real estate, media and entertainment, investment, and obviously sport. Suning also are the owners of PPTV, China’s main streaming service. They exclusively show matches from all the main European leagues, including Serie A, the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1.
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On 26th December 1990, a 27-year-old Zhang Jindong opened his first air-conditioning store under the Suning brand name in Nanjing. Thanks to Mr Zhang’s inspiration, the shop grew exponentially during the 1990s, first becoming a chain and a multinational company, before then turning into an industrial giant.
