NYSportsJournalism.com
The PGA Tour has signed a multi-year deal naming Omni Hotels & Resorts as the official hotel partner of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. The pact runs through 2022 and represents Omni’s first major league-wide sponsorship. The alliance was organic as Omni’s destination of 60 hotels includes 12 golf resorts featuring more than 25 golf courses designed by award-winning golf architects.
Supermarket News
Amazon Prime member savings is available in all Whole Foods Market and Whole Foods Market 365 stores across the country. Through the program, which launched at Whole Foods stores in Florida last month, Prime members can get an extra 10% off sale items and weekly “deep discounts” on certain top-selling items. The retailers are pushing ahead with the rollout of same-day grocery delivery via the e-tailer’s Prime Now service.
Reuters
Chipotle will add “in-app” delivery of its products to about 2,000 restaurants by the end of the year and launch a long-awaited loyalty program in 2019. The chain also plans to close up to 65 underperforming restaurants and revamp its marketing under Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol, but many questions remain unanswered about what to expect under the new leadership.
NYSportsJournalism.com
NBA partner Gatorade has signed as the first primary partner for the premiere Jr. NBA World Championship, a tournament for elite 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams worldwide. The NBA is planning to add other partners, including from its existing roster of marketing alliances. Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) and Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) are official Jr. NBA World Championship ambassadors.
CNBC
American Express and Amazon are introducing a co-branded credit card for small businesses. The card company said the offering is part of a broader multi-year partnership. It is Amazon's first small business card. Amazon also has a branded card with J. P. Morgan Chase, which issues one for consumers shopping on Amazon's site and elsewhere, and with Synchrony Financial.
Reuters
Uber Technologies Inc. has won a probationary license to operate in London in a partial victory for its new chief executive after it made changes to ease strained relations with city authorities. Uber overhauled its policies and personnel in Britain after Transport for London (TfL) refused to renew its license in September for failings in its approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers.
CNBC
Conagra Brands announced plans to acquire Pinnacle Foods in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $8.1 billion. The acquisition furthers Conagra's transformation under CEO Sean Connolly and its push into frozen foods.The pairing of Healthy Choice-owner Conagra and Bird's Eye-owner Pinnacle would create the second-largest U.S. frozen food company behind Nestle.
Deadline.com
Damon Wolf has been set to become president of worldwide marketing for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. Wolf is the current co-head of marketing at TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. He will make the move
Jan. 1, and will replace Tim Palen, the longtime marketing chief and the brains behind such lauded film launch campaigns as
The Hunger Games and
La La Land.
Chain Store Age
Party City is looking to fill the void left by the demise of Toys “R” Us — at least for the holiday season. The party supplies giant on Monday announced plans to open about 50 pop-up stores nationwide under the Toy City banner. The pop-ups will be located alongside Party City’s seasonal Halloween City stores, with both concepts opening in early September. The toy stores will operate throughout the holiday shopping period.
Food Business News
Keurig Dr Pepper — the company to be formed upon Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.’s acquisition of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.
on July 9 — has announced its planned leadership team. Andrew Springate has been named chief marketing officer. He joined Dr Pepper Snapple in 2000 and was most recently senior vice-president of marketing for Dr Pepper and sponsorships marketing.