Pepsi Furthers Affiliation with Sports Industry in California | Sports Destination Management

Pepsi Furthers Affiliation with Sports Industry in California

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Jan 20, 2020

PepsiCo and Hollywood Park are partnering in an expansive agreement that makes Pepsi and Frito-Lay the exclusive soft drink and salty snacks partners across SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, a move that further deepens PepsiCo’s affiliation with sports and entertainment in California. The partnership, which extends across the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, will put PepsiCo front and center of the highly anticipated destination in Inglewood, where it will serve its signature brands to millions of fans across all events.

Opening July 2020, SoFi Stadium, the future home of the Chargers and Rams, is located at Hollywood Park, a 298-acre global sports and entertainment destination being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. Adjacent to the stadium and under the same roof canopy is the 2.5-acre American Airlines Plaza and a 6,000-seat performance venue, which will hold a variety of events throughout the year, including esports, award shows, concerts and more. The mixed-use development will also feature a mix of residential, retail, and commercial spaces, as well as more than 20 acres of parkland for the community to enjoy.

“For more than 84 years, PepsiCo has been a part of the fabric of Los Angeles, and we couldn’t be more excited that a development like Hollywood Park will be opening in our backyard,” said Kris Licht, president of PepsiCo Beverages North America West Division. “What Stan Kroenke is developing with SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park will combine everything we could want in a sports, music and entertainment destination, and we look forward to offering our refreshing beverages, delicious snacks and unforgettable experiences in what is bound to become the most talked about location in Los Angeles.”

As a founding partner of Hollywood Park, PepsiCo will gain category-exclusive marketing, sponsorship and promotional rights across the development, as well as certain soft drink and snacking rights for SoFi Stadium, the performance venue and American Airlines Plaza. PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division will lead the snacking experience with brands that could include Tostitos, the Official Chip & Dip of the NFL. In addition, PepsiCo will host a 46,000-square-foot space in the stadium’s south zone, where fans can experience a series of culinary and entertainment activations.

“PepsiCo is an iconic brand that is synonymous with excellence and creating some of the world’s greatest entertainment, from discovering up-and-coming artists to producing celebrated Super Bowl halftime performances,” said Jason Gannon, managing director, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. “PepsiCo’s fan-first approach to entertainment aligns with our goal to deliver a new global stage that will host world-renowned acts and events. SoFi Stadium is already home to Super Bowl LVI and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic Games, and we are excited to partner with PepsiCo to continue to add to the extraordinary experiences that are coming to Los Angeles when we open in July 2020.”

This partnership will further align PepsiCo with the NFL and its two home teams in Los Angeles. PepsiCo will gain sponsorship, soft drink and certain snacking rights to the Rams, a recent partner of the brand, and the Chargers, a longstanding PepsiCo partner for the past 15 years. 

“PepsiCo has been a tremendous partner to the Chargers for the better part of two decades,” said A.G. Spanos, Los Angeles Chargers president of Business Operations. “As we move into our new SoFi Stadium home in 2020, it’s nice to have a member of the family joining us. More importantly, through first-hand experience, it’s exciting to know that we have a world-class partner in PepsiCo who is aligned with our belief that the fan comes first in everything we do.”

To celebrate the kickoff of its exclusive partnership with SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, PepsiCo will host SoFi Stadium’s first tailgate party for the people responsible for building the stadium. The party celebrates the approximately 3,000 construction workers on-site every day and will feature a series of games, food and beverages, and a performance from one of the pioneers of West Coast hip-hop, Warren G.

“For years, PepsiCo and the NFL have teamed up to combine the best of football and entertainment, a pairing that will be elevated by what Mr. Kroenke is building at Hollywood Park,” said Kevin Demoff, Los Angeles Rams COO. “This partnership will enhance gamedays for our fans and the year-round experience for all who visit this extraordinary development. We are ecstatic to kick off this relationship by throwing the first party for SoFi Stadium, rightfully celebrating the thousands of people who are building this transformative building that will set a new standard for what PepsiCo, the NFL and its teams can do together.”

Since 1935, PepsiCo has employed more than 41,000 associates in California and currently has more than 11,000 associates in the state. The brand opened its first bottler in Los Angeles in 1936 and has over 40 PepsiCo Foodservice partners in Inglewood alone. For more information about PepsiCo’s latest partnership with SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, please visit www.sofistadium.com/newsroom.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About SoFi Stadium

SoFi Stadium, the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, is located at Hollywood Park, a 298-acre global sports and entertainment destination being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke in Inglewood, Calif. The 3.1 million square-foot SoFi Stadium is the largest stadium in the NFL, as well as the first indoor-outdoor stadium. It seats approximately 70,000, expandable up to 100,000, with more than 260 luxury suites and more than 13,000 premium seats. SoFi Stadium has already secured Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the College Football National Championship Game in 2023, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in 2028. Adjacent to the stadium and sitting under the same roof canopy is the 2.5-acre American Airlines Plaza and a 6,000-seat performance venue. Hollywood Park anticipates an initial phase of more than 1.5 million square feet of retail and office space, 2,500 residences, a hotel and more than 20 acres of parks. For more information about SoFi Stadium, visit www.SoFiStadium.comor @SoFiStadium on Instagram and Twitter.

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