Inter Milan, Suning team up with Italian burner giant Riello

NANJING - Inter Milan, the Italian soccer club owned by Chinese retail giants Suning, linked a deal on Tuesday with Riello, a renowned Italian brand in burner and heating products, to jointly get into the Chinese heating market.

The two sides will launch customized Riello wall-hanging stoves, one of the world's largest burner manufacturers, featuring elements of Inter Milan, which is battling for the Scudetto as the Italian Serie A leaders.

The high-profile club was reported to be put on sale, but its recent bond prospectus read that "Suning have confirmed their commitment to the ongoing financial support of the club", which suggested its owner might not soon quit the title contender.

The heating business cooperation may reveal that Suning is confident in keeping a grip on Inter, as its domestic title-winning club has ceased operation due to financial trouble, sources told Xinhua.

Suning will leverage its advantages of retail channels to promote the heating products as more Chinese customers value the quality of home life, said Wu Dingjian, vice president of Suning.com, a subsidiary of Suning.

The customized products symbolize win-win cooperation between two centuries-old Italian brands, said Zhang Xiaoan, managing director of Inter Milan China.

"The similar concepts of the two brands facilitate the cooperation and help lay a solid foundation for further market promotion," Zhang said.

According to Suning, Inter Milan has a total of nearly 395 million fans worldwide, including 120 million fans in China.