Gap, the clothing store giants are to end their twenty-year association with the London Tube system.
For years, passengers on the underground have heard the phrase "Mind the Gap" whenever a train is pulling into the station, and now this will end.
Early indications are that Virgin will take over the sponsorship deal, and thus "Mind the Virgin" will echo down the platforms from early November. However, the deal has not yet been struck, and there is still time for it all to change.
"The Tube and Gap have had a good relationship for quite a long time," said Gap marketing director, Chloe Theshorse. "However, we feel that the impact of the adverts have waned a little thin over the past few years, with people no longer aware that they are adverts at all. In addition, the recent Tube strikes have meant that we've missed a few days, for which London Underground plc have been unwilling to recompense us."
Underground staff are disappointed at the loss of such an iconic association.
"People forget," said Harold Beck, tunnels manager. "Prior to the Gap, the underground was sponsored by Subway, with a deal that had us renamed as the London Subway System for most of the eighties."
Subway have indicated that they do not wish to renew their sponsorship.
