PARIS, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and Navimow announce the signing of a partnership making Navimow an Official Supplier of the TOP 14 for the next three seasons.

Precision in the service of performance

As the elite championship of French rugby, the TOP 14 owes part of its intensity to the quality of the pitches where the season's biggest fixtures take place. Pitch quality is a major consideration for player safety, the flow of the game and the supporter experience.

Navimow shares this same pursuit of excellence through technological innovation. By combining robotics, artificial intelligence and advanced navigation technologies, the brand develops intelligent, wire-free robotic lawn mowers that provide autonomous, highly precise lawn care while making everyday life easier for users.

By partnering with the TOP 14, Navimow brings its technological expertise into a world where performance is also decided down to the centimetre.

The "Navimow Pitch Ranking"

As part of this partnership, the annual ranking of professional clubs' pitches, produced through the Elite Pitch Performance Analysis (APPE), will now be known as the "Navimow Pitch Ranking".

Each season, this initiative recognises the work carried out by clubs to ensure high-quality playing surfaces and reflects the shared commitment of the LNR and Navimow to performance, innovation and the continuous improvement of playing conditions.

A new illustration of the TOP 14's appeal

By choosing the TOP 14 for its first sports partnership in France, Navimow joins a group of international brands that see French professional rugby as a powerful platform to support their development.

Throughout the season, the brand will benefit from visibility at TOP 14 matches, digital activations, dedicated content and public relations initiatives designed to strengthen its awareness among supporters and reinforce its presence in France through a partnership with nationwide reach.

This new partnership is part of the TOP 14's continued development and further confirms its appeal to ambitious partners. It supports the LNR's strategy to establish the TOP 14 as a lasting benchmark in world rugby, open to demanding, innovative and international brands.

"Navimow's arrival as an Official Supplier of the TOP 14 confirms the appeal of our championship. We are proud to welcome a global player in robotics and artificial intelligence, whose commitment to precision and performance echoes that of our rugby. We are proud to welcome a company whose expertise is built around precision and innovation. By becoming a partner of the Pitch Ranking, Navimow is supporting an initiative that recognises clubs' daily commitment to the quality of their pitches, because great performances always begin with great playing conditions." Yann ROUBERT, President of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby.

"As a pioneer in robotic lawn mowing, we are proud to become an Official Supplier of the TOP 14, a championship that embodies excellence, commitment and passion. At Navimow, we believe innovation should make everyday life easier, allowing people to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on what truly matters. By automating lawn mowing, we give our users the freedom to spend time with loved ones, fully enjoy their passions and share in the emotions of sport. These values strongly reflect our vision: putting technology at the service of a richer and more enjoyable everyday life.

Since entering the French market in 2023, we have progressively built a strong nationwide presence through a network of trusted partners, both in retail and among industry professionals, reflecting the growing confidence French consumers place in Navimow. This partnership is therefore a natural fit and marks an important milestone in our development in France, reaffirming our long-term commitment to one of our most strategic markets." Ryan Kong, General Manager, Europe Division at Segway Navimow

About Navimow

Segway Navimow, a subsidiary of Ninebot Limited (Stock Code: 689009.SH), specialises in the research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation of intelligent robots. Navimow's mission is to sustainably integrate robotics and artificial intelligence into everyday life by providing intelligent lawn-care technologies that create lasting value for customers around the world, while strengthening its position as the world's leading wire-free robotic lawn mower brand.

Backed by a team of experts in robotics and artificial intelligence, the company has a presence in Beijing, Changzhou, Shenzhen, Amsterdam, Boston, Düsseldorf and Paris, supported by a global collaboration network.

Its product portfolio includes the i, H and X Series for residential users, as well as the Terranox range designed for professional landscapers. This offering covers a wide range of lawn sizes and maintenance needs. The world's No. 1 wire-free robotic lawn mower brand by retail sales volume for two consecutive years*, Navimow is present in more than 40 countries and regions across Europe, North America and Australia (data as of May 2026).

(*Source: Euromonitor International. Ranking based on the brand's total retail sales volume (units) in 2024 and 2025; research conducted in March 2026. Wire-free robotic lawn mowers are robotic lawn mowers intended for residential or professional use that operate without a physical perimeter wire, using technologies such as UWB, vision navigation, RTK or 3D LiDAR. These products are generally identified based on their commercial name or information displayed on their packaging.)

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