The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic has announced partnerships with two Kent-based companies - Veblen Wine and Ashmax Associates - which will see both organisations become associate sponsors of the prestigious PSA M100 tournament to be held in London's East Wintergarden between March 5th and 9th.

Veblen Wines is a fine wine investment advisory company, specialists in assisting private clients in managing, servicing and trading their interest in fine wine. The firm is one of only 450 companies licensed to trade on the London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-Ex) and has developed into one of the most successful wine investment companies in the world.

"Squash has helped my health and fitness and I have met some great people through playing the game", said Veblen Wine Founder & Director Lazare Morel.

"Our policy at Veblen is always to put the customer first and our business model looks after the customer from start to finish. More and more people are looking at wine as an investment, and with an average annual return of 12% over the past twenty-five years, it is a very attractive alternative to the more traditional forms of investment".

Financial planning and wealth management company Ashmax Associates is a family-based business which offers independent and trusted financial advice for clients across the United Kingdom. Working primarily in the fields of business, sport, music and entertainment, Ashmax Associates operates in areas including mortgages, future wealth and income planning, as well as wills, tax and trust advice.

Ashmax Associates Financial Adviser Ryan Briggs – formerly a professional footballer for West Ham United – plays in the same Kent League squash team as Morel (the two are pictured above), and said: "We currently work with people in sport at various levels including football and rugby and I would love to extend this to squash. Since retiring from playing professional football, I have started playing competitive squash and am passionate about the game.

"Both Lazare and I are excited about being involved with the Canary Wharf Classic, one of the greatest tournaments in the game, and watching many of the world's leading players in action at the East Wintergarden".

Tournament Director Tim Garner, of Eventis Sports Marketing, said: "We are pleased to welcome Veblen Wine and Ashmax Associates to our expanding portfolio of sponsors. Both Lazare and Ryan are very passionate about the sport and we look forward to working with them over the next month".

Both companies will have a presence at East Wintergarden throughout the tournament, offering spectators the chance to win a high-quality bottle of wine every day through a draw. The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic is headed up by World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy, while the likes of World No.3 Ali Farag, three-time World Champion Nick Matthew and four-time winner James Willstrop will also be in action.

This year's instalment becomes the first ranking PSA World Tour event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring format up until the semi-finals and final, where it will revert to the traditional best-of-five scoring.

Live coverage from the tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and final will be shown live on BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.