News America Marketing Announces Exclusive Partnership with A&P
Multi-Year Deal Reunites Two Industry Leaders; Includes SmartSource
In-Store Programs
New York, NY (December 12, 2006) – News America Marketing, a division of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), today announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P)(NYSE: GAP). The agreement reestablishes a previous partnership between A&P, a prominent Northeast retailer, and News America Marketing, which delivers a wide array of in-store marketing programs under the SmartSource® brand name. Under the terms of the deal, News America Marketing will be the exclusive third-party provider of marketing programs at A&P and will offer its portfolio of SmartSource in-store programs. This signing adds nearly 387 stores to News America Marketing’s network, further solidifying its leadership position in more than 34,000 food, drug, and mass retailers.
“We are extremely pleased to have A&P return to our retail network,” said Marty Garofalo, EVP, Trade, News America Marketing. “This agreement is a testament to A&P’s recognition of the unparalleled service and dedication that News America delivers to its retailer and packaged goods manufacturer clients. It further strengthens our reputation as the industry’s premier full-service, in-store marketing provider.”
The alliance with A&P, one of the most prominent supermarket chains in North America, significantly reinforces an already formidable presence for News America Marketing across the nine states in which A&P operates.
“Bringing our programs back to the shelves of A&P underscores the diligence and relationship-building skills of our organization, as well as the outstanding value that News America Marketing brings to the retail community and ultimately, to the shopping experience,” said Jesse Aversano, EVP, Marketing, News America Marketing. “We look forward to collaborating with A&P to implement our full range of products throughout their stores, while continuing to deliver unmatched levels of execution compliance, service and support from News America Marketing’s dedicated, in-house field force.”
The SmartSource portfolio will be available in January of 2007 across all A&P outlets and will include at-shelf coupon dispensers, shelf messaging, floor advertising and shopping cart advertising on an exclusive basis.
Founded in 1859, A&P was one of the nation’s first supermarket chains, and is today among the largest in the North America. A&P operates 403 stores in nine states under the following trade names: A&P, Waldbaum’s, The Food Emporium, A&P Super Foodmart, Super Fresh, Farmer Jack, Sav-A-Center, and Food Basics, with annual sales $8.7 billion.
News America Marketing, a division of News Corporation, is the leading single-source provider of consumer marketing services. The company’s product portfolio, marketed under the SmartSource brand name, consists of the first branded free-standing insert, known as SmartSource Magazine®, various in-store marketing products, merchandising services, database marketing tools and online promotions. These products and services allow marketers to deliver a brand message to over 200 million consumers each month via a network of 1,161 newspapers and 34,500 supermarket, drug and mass merchandisers locations across the country, including Albertson’s, Kroger, Winn Dixie, CVS, Eckerd and Rite Aid.
News America Marketing’s diverse portfolio of consumer-marketing programs includes:
IN-STORE MEDIA
SmartSource® At-Shelf Sampling SmartSource ShelftalkSM
SmartSource Shelftake One® SmartSource® Bonus Box
SmartSource ShelftalkSM Banner SmartSource Shelftake One® RX
SmartSource CartsSM SmartSource Freezer ShelftalkSM
SmartSource Showcase® SmartSource Coupon Machine®
SmartSource Freezer ExtraSM SmartSource Showcase® Extra
SmartSource Floortalk® SmartSource Price Pop® Guaranteed
SmartSource Electronic Shelf ProgramsSM
HOME-DELIVERED MEDIA TRADE MARKETING
SmartSource Magazine® SmartSource Price Feature Plus®
Partnerships Themed Events
Direct Response Advertising
SmartSource Custom PublishingSM
ONLINE MEDIA
SmartSource Online Savings NetworkSM
DATABASE MARKETING MERCHANDISING SERVICES
SmartSource Direct
News America Marketing—International provides consumer-marketing services in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to a network of advertising and promotion partners in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim.
News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of June 30, 2006 of approximately US$57 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$25 billion. News Corporation is a diversified international media and entertainment company with operations in eight industry segments: filmed entertainment; television; cable network programming; direct broadcast satellite television; magazines and inserts; newspapers; book publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin.
For more information about News Corporation, please visit www.newscorp.com.
Contact: News America Marketing
Laura Richards
212.782.8145
lrichards@newsamerica.com
Rubenstein Associates Public Relations
Robin Wagge
212.843.8006
rwagge@rubenstein.com
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