Bristol Bears are set to ditch their own brand kit and apparel suppliers in favour of England Rugby's new supplier Umbro, Bristol Live can exclusively reveal.
Bristol Sport have been the supplier of the Bristol Bears, then Bristol Rugby, kit since the 2014/15 season.
The group includes Bristol City, who are also set to switch their kit suppliers to Danish sports and leisure company Hummel, Bristol City Women, Bristol Bears Women, Bristol Flyers, Bristol Jets and Bristol Sport Racing, who have also had kit made for them in the past.
Bristol Live understand the deal with Umbro is in advanced stages and soon to be finalised.
The deal is some coup for Bristol Bears with the historic sports brand set to replace Canterbury as England's official kit manufacturer after the Six Nations as well having agreed a deal understood to be worth more than £5million per year with the beaten World Cup finalists.
It is a significant change in direction for Umbro which is a brand largely associated with football and has not been involved with rugby for more than a decade.
Umbro, founded in Cheshire in 1924, is synonymous with football and at its peak, equipped 85 percent of the clubs in the Football League.
Umbro now supply kits to only three Premier League clubs — Bournemouth, Everton and West Ham.
At times in recent seasons Bristol Bears fans have expressed his displeasure with the quality, availability and limited range of the Bristol Sport kits and fan apparel, with the issue reaching boiling point this winter over the lack of bobble hats available.
Bristol Live understand the Bears are expected to be the only Premiership side dressed by Umbro next season.
With the deal still in the works Bristol Bears were unable to comment at this time.
