Handball counts among the most popular ball sports in the world. A total of 16 million German TV viewers watched the World Championship final in 2007 between Germany and Poland. This was the first time that a handball match had headed the list of most watched sports broadcasts in a year. Now the eyes of international sports fans are turning to Norway, where the 16 best European national teams will be meeting head to head from January 17 to 27. As reigning World Champions, the German national team counts among the favorites for the European title.
 
Henkel has a tradition of involvement in the sport of handball. Following the World Championship in Tunisia in 2005, and the 2006 European Championship in Switzerland, the company was again prominent as a sponsor for the World Championship held in its home country, an event crowned on February 4, 2007 with an exciting victory by the German team under trainer Heiner Brand. Now in Norway, the Henkel logo will again be on display, including the company’s slogan “A Brand like a Friend” appearing on the referees’ jerseys. As a sport, handball is extremely popular in markets of importance for Henkel such as Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

In North America, Henkel markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands, including Dial® soap, Purex® laundry detergent, Right Guard® antiperspirants, got2b® hair gels, and Loctite® adhesives.

For more than 130 years, Henkel has been a leader with brands and technologies that make people's lives easier, better and more beautiful.  Henkel operates in three business areas – Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesives Technologies – and ranks among the Fortune Global 500 companies. In fiscal 2006, Henkel generated sales of 12.740 billion euros and operating profit of 1,298 million euros. Our 53,000 employees worldwide are dedicated to fulfilling our corporate claim, "A Brand like a Friend," and ensuring that people in more than 125 countries can trust in brands and technologies from Henkel.