Penny becomes Main Sponsor for FC Energie Cottbus
Infront wins discount chain as partner of ambitious 2nd division club
Penny is the number three amongst the discount chains in Germany with more than 2,400 branches across the nation, including more than 120 within the Cottbus region. This is the first time that Penny has sponsored a professional football club. Since summer 2007, the Rewe Group has been the main sponsor of the 1. FC Köln.
Bonus agreement in case of promotion
Penny’s sponsorship agreement was negotiated by Infront Sports & Media. It includes the shirt sponsorship, comprehensive board advertising and a package of other communication platforms in and around the “Stadium of Friendship”, exclusive access to hospitality and merchandising opportunities as well as a ticket allocation which will be used as prizes for Penny’s customer competitions. The agreement includes a bonus agreement for the eventuality that FC Energie is promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of this season.
“Penny is one of the best known and most popular discount chains in the Eastern part of Germany. We are delighted, that our sponsorship has created the basis for the club’s immediate return to the Bundesliga. Energie Cottbus has a huge potential with Claus-Dieter Wollitz, its charismatic coach, as well as a professional club management. The enthusiasm with which the work is done with is exemplary for the region as a whole even beyond the football business. I am convinced that our involvement will further increase the emotional appeal of the Penny brand“, said Armin Rehberg, Member of the Rewe Management Board in charge of the discount division. “I see many parallels between football and discount business: both areas require speed, creativity, directness and sometime also international toughness. Nevertheless, fairness and team play are two key success factors. This applies to Penny as well as to Cottbus“, Rehberg said.
“For many years Penny has been involved with our region. Penny has a strong sales network, which fits particularly well with our future joint marketing activities. I am very happy that we have found a reliable, likeable and authentic partner. From a sporting perspective, this gives real impetus to the team and its entire entourage“, said Ulrich Lepsch, President of Energie Cottbus. “The negotiations have been carried out in a constructive way without any delay. We immediately sensed that Penny was excited about the sponsorship opportunity.”
“We are very happy that we have found Penny as national and highly attractive main sponsor for FC Energie. Both partners are highly efficient organisations and therefore fit extremely well together. We are convinced that Penny will achieve the anticipated communication and sales targets through their FC Energie sponsorship. The club offers extraordinary opportunities as a platform for innovative marketing concepts of the discount chains“, added Reinhardt Weinberger, Managing Director of Infront Germany. The agency took over the marketing of FC Energie Cottbus’ shirt sponsorship at the end of January 2009.
About Penny
With a turnover exceeding 6.3 billion Euros, and more than 2,400 branches nationwide, Penny is one of the leading discount stores in Germany. In the Eastern part of Germany, Penny operates about 600 branches. With its involvement in football, Penny underlines the importance of the eastern federal states for its national expansion strategy. Only this year the discount chain has invested a high double-digit million Euro sum to create new storage space in the region. Already at the beginning of the year, Penny invited more than 140 East-German suppliers to the first Penny East Fair in Berlin. The aim was to further increase the already impressive share of Penny products from Eastern Germany to a total of 30 percent. In the shops, these products can be found labelled „Easterly is delicious“.
About Infront Germany
Infront Germany, based in Frankfurt/Main and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infront Sports & Media, is one of the leading companies in the stadium advertising business in Germany, with a successful track record dating back 30 years. It currently markets the commercial rights of six clubs in Germany, including three Bundesliga clubs, Werder Bremen (Weser-Stadion, stadium advertising), FC Schalke 04 (Veltins Arena, stadium advertising) and VfL Bochum (rewirpowerSTADION, stadium advertising), as well as three clubs of the 2. Bundesliga - Energie Cottbus (Stadion der Freundschaft, shirt sponsorship), Fortuna Düsseldorf (Esprit Arena, stadium advertising) and Hansa Rostock (DKB-Arena, all major commercial rights). In Rostock, Infront Germany also offers first-class hospitality opportunities. During the 2008/2009 season, also Infront successfully distributed media and marketing rights to the UEFA Cup home matches of the national champion VfL Wolfsburg.
http://www.infrontsports.de
For further information, please contact:
Jörg Polzer
Manager, Communication & PR
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
press infrontsports.com
www.infrontsports.com
REWE Group Unternehmenskommunikation
Tel. +49-221-149-1050
presse rewe-group.com
www.rewe-group.com
Ronny Gersch
Pressesprecher
FC Energie Cottbus e.V.
Tel. +49-355-75 69 527
Fax +49-355-75 69 551
r.gersch fcenergie.com
www.fcenergie.de
