DALLAS, April 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Just as Team 7-Eleven(R) Driver
Tony Kanaan revs up to defend his title in the 2005 IndyCar(R) Series after
winning the 2004 championship, 7-Eleven, Inc. (NYSE: SE) is racing to bring
new and exclusive products with Team 7-Eleven ties to consumers. To
capitalize on its "team merchandising" philosophy of working with its
suppliers to create items for 7-Eleven(R) that are "first, best or only," the
nation's leading convenience retailer will introduce more than 20 items in
participating U.S. stores sporting the IndyCar Series logo, Team 7-Eleven
graphics or photos of winning driver Kanaan, who drives the No. 11 car for
Andretti Green Racing(R).
"Tony Kanaan's winning the IRL championship has only served to increase
awareness for both our brand and our partners' brands," said Kevin Elliott,
7-Eleven vice president of merchandising, "and this year, we have doubled the
breadth of dedicated IRL-related products. It's a great platform for us to
differentiate our brand, and it allows us to offer our customers an ever-
increasing lineup of exclusive products that evoke the excitement of the
IndyCar Series."
Supplier sponsors returning for the 2005 season are Hershey (NYSE: HSY),
Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) , Nestle Waters and Energizer (NYSE: ENR); new ones
include Nestle Foods (Other OTC: NSRGF.PK), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO/CCE), America
Online and Pringles (NYSE: PG). New Team 7-Eleven products can be found
across all store categories. Team 7-Eleven branded items, nearly all of which
are available exclusively at participating U.S. 7-Eleven(R) stores, slated to
be introduced in April and May:
-- Coca-Cola - Secret shoppers award all-expenses-paid trips to Indy
500 to 7-Eleven customers caught buying Coca-Cola products
-- Arizona Iced Tea - Third year to participate with Team 7-Eleven;
product highlights Tony Kanaan's championship season
-- Powerade 32-ounce bottle with graphics of Tony Kanaan
-- Nestle Waters - special Tony Kanaan IRL display featuring .5 liter
six-packs in the Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland
Spring and Zephyrhills brands.
-- Fruit 2O - special packaging with Tony Kanaan and race car graphics
-- Reese's Big Cup-Big Gulp(R) - special display featuring Tony Kanaan
and offering discount on Reese's Big Cup when Big Gulp fountain
drink is purchased
-- Pringles - racing facts and Team 7-Eleven trivia actually printed on
the face of each chip; special-sized package sports graphics of Tony
Kanaan and race car
-- Hershey's Payday PRO(R) Protein Bar - product developed exclusively
for 7-Eleven by Hershey; wrapper features Tony Kanaan and Team
7-Eleven car
-- Energizer Batteries - Special product display features the Team
7-Eleven race car
-- Power Bar Triple-Threat - special Team 7-Eleven display
-- Planters 12-ounce Cocktail Peanuts - graphics of Tony Kanaan and car
-- AOL PrePaid Internet CD and Airtime Cards
-- Big Bite(R) hot dog carrier - features photo of Team 7-Eleven
Team merchandising, an important business philosophy 7-Eleven employs to
co-develop new products with its suppliers, played a key role in bringing many
of these new products to market. In keeping with the high-performance
requirements of race car driving, Kanaan's affinity for strenuous individual
sports like cycling and running, as well as consumers' growing interest in
performance foods, Hershey Foods and 7-Eleven teamed up to develop the Payday
PRO Protein Bar, a high-protein version of their popular candy bar.
"This is team merchandising at its best," Elliott said. "Racing is not
just about the guy driving the car, but everyone on the team who makes sure he
has the best car on the track. We work with our suppliers daily to make sure
that we can bring products to our customers that are 'first, best or only' in
the marketplace."
Other Team 7-Eleven and IndyCar Series logo items for sale in stores are
one-time-use cameras, Styrofoam coolers, Team 7-Eleven logo T-shirts
compressed and shrink-wrapped in car-shapes, lighters and die-cast
reproductions of the Team 7-Eleven race car. Products will be available on
special displays during April and May.
"7-Eleven, the IRL and Andretti Green Racing are all high-performance
entities," Elliott said, "making this the perfect partnership on and off the
track, and it's a great platform for us to introduce exciting, branded
products that our consumers will find only at 7-Eleven."
According to Ken Ungar, senior vice president of business affairs for the Indy
Racing League, the Team 7-Eleven/IRL product assortment is the biggest
consumer initiative in the history of the IndyCar Series.
"The additional exposure 7-Eleven brings to IRL racing," Ungar said, "with
its 6 million daily customers and the greatly increased number of products in
their stores promoting Tony Kanaan, Team 7-Eleven and the IndyCar Series, will
give broad, coast-to-coast visibility to the league and the defending
champion."
The race track isn't the only place fans can see Tony or the Team 7-Eleven
race car. A show car is touring the nation through October, appearing at
community events and store promotions. Kanaan also will make appearances in
select race cities during the season.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience
retailing industry. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven, Inc. operates
or franchises approximately 5,800 7-Eleven(R) stores in the United States and
Canada and licenses approximately 22,000 7-Eleven stores in 17 other countries
and U.S. territories throughout the world. During 2004, 7-Eleven stores
worldwide generated total sales of more than $41 billion. Find more online at
http://www.7-Eleven.com .
CONTACT: KEVIN GARDNER
7-ELEVEN, INC.
214.828.7345
kgardn02@7-11.com
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