SBENU (Korean: 스베누) was an athletic footwear and apparel company based in Seoul, South Korea. Founded on 30 June 2014, SBENU had opened more than 100 retail stores nationwide by 2015. SBENU also expanded its business by becoming a major sponsor of esports in South Korea; at its peak, SBENU was the main sponsor of the BroodWar Sonic league, the League of Legends Champions Korea league, the StarLeague and the Global StarCraft II League.
 | |
| Founded | June 30, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Hwang Hyo-Jin |
| Defunct | October 7, 2016 |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 100+ stores (2015) |
| Products | Athletic footwear & apparel |
| Website | Official website |
History
editOriginally established under the name Shoe Farm in 2013, SBENU was founded by Hwang Hyo-Jin. SBENU took the letter "S" for shoes and combined it with the ancient Egyptian deity Bennu, which is thought to be the inspiration for the phoenix in Greek mythology.[1]
Focusing on building the SBENU brand globally, SBENU and football team Manchester United agreed to terms of sponsorship in 2015, making SBENU the official footwear brand of the team.[2]
Prior to its dissolution, SBENU was sponsoring various celebrities and gaming events, spending about $8.26 million USD per year, all the while failing to pay in full to its manufacturers.[3] In 2016, SBENU claimed that the agency "HIKE", which was run by two formerly bankrupt owners that promised to help connect manufacturers with companies, had embezzled about US$7.1 million, and that this had caused the failing of payment to the manufacturers, who should have received their money from HIKE.[4] On 7 October 2016, SBENU announced that it would cease all sales and dissolved.[5]
CF models
editEsports
editThis section needs to be updated. (January 2019) |
League of Legends
editIn 2015, SBENU acquired the League of Legends roster of Prime Clan, renaming it SBENU Sonicboom before the start of SBENU Champions Summer 2015. The team performed poorly in its first season, finishing in last place and being forced to play in the LCK Promotion Series against Ever to keep their spot in the Champions League. SBENU defeated Ever 3–1 and retained their spot for the next season.
StarCraft II
editSBENU was the sponsor for the season 2 and season 3 tournaments of the StarCraft II StarLeague.
References
edit- ^ "About SBENU". Archived from the original on 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Reds announce Sbenu link-up". www.manutd.com. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "시사매거진이 파헤친 스베누 땡처리 사태의 진실은?". 허핑턴포스트 (in Korean). Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ "스베누, "하이키 71억 이상 횡령"". www.ktnews.com (in Korean). Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- ^ "20대 창업신화 '스베누', 신발 사업 접었다". news.nate.com (in Korean). Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ "IU for SBENU's new E-Line Candy sneakers".
- ^ "IU and Song Jae Rim Are Sweet as Candy in Photo Shoot for Sbenu". Soompi. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "AOA show off their fierce dance moces in SBENU's new footwear".
- ^ "Kisum and A - Sol unveil a MV for the brand SBENU". www.koreatide.com. Koreatide. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.