Norwich City are set to replace Lotus as their shirt sponsor with another Norfolk-based firm... but one which may be less familiar to many fans.

The club has lined up lifestyle fashion brand Blakely to replace the car manufacturer on the front of the team's kits for the next season.

The deal represents a major milestone for the firm, which was set up by Gareth Newman little over a decade ago in his childhood bedroom in Melton Constable.

The company, which is still based in the village, has since grown into an international fashion brand, turning over £14.6m last year – up more than 20pc on the previous year.

Gareth Newman, CEO and founder of Blakely, pictured inside the former Norwich London Street street store, which closed last yearGareth Newman, CEO and founder of Blakely from Melton Constable, pictured inside the brand's former Norwich London Street store, which closed last year (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Its logo will feature on Norwich City's home, away and third shirts, as well as training wear, for the 2024/25 Championship season.

The kits will all still be manufactured by Spanish sportswear firm Joma.

Blakely, which makes men's and women’s clothing, was founded by Mr Newman in 2012.

After studying at the University of East Anglia and qualifying as a pharmacist, Mr Newman used his first pay cheque to start the brand.

Blakely is based at an industrial estate in Melton ConstableBlakely is based at an industrial estate in Melton Constable (Image: Supplied)

He spent two years teaching himself photoshop, finding suppliers and designing a website before officially launching the company online in 2012.

Its name is inspired by the north Norfolk village of Blakeney, near to where Mr Newman’s father grew up.

Headquartered at its 40,000 sqft UK warehouse on an industrial estate in Marriott Way, Melton Constable, Blakely also has distribution centre in Belgium for European orders.

It currently has a store in London’s Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, and previously had a shop in Norwich, which closed in April last year.

The Norwich store opened in London Street in November 2021, but was forced to close 17 months later after its landlord opted to welcome American fast food chain Taco Bell rather than extend the clothing brand’s lease.

The former Blakey store in Norwich's London Street street, which closed last yearThe former Blakely store in Norwich's London Street street, which closed last year (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Blakely says its clothes are super-soft and designed to last.

It has a social media following of more than 340,000.