The new home of the Detroit Red Wings, host to sports and
entertainment events, and the community’s premier gathering place to be
named after iconic, Detroit-headquartered pizza chain
Agreement to provide global visibility for - and support
international growth of - Little Caesars, the world’s largest
carryout-only pizza chain
Little Caesars Arena on schedule for fall 2017 grand opening as
cornerstone of The District Detroit - a $1.2 billion live, work and play
development fueling city’s redevelopment.
DETROIT, April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ –
Olympia Entertainment and Little Caesars today announced a naming rights
partnership establishing Little Caesars Arena as the name of Detroit’s
new, 20,000+ seat downtown arena. The new Little Caesars Arena will
serve as home of the Detroit Red Wings NHL franchise and countless other
sports, entertainment and community events.
Naming Rights to Provide International Visibility for Rapidly Growing, Global Brand
The 20-year naming rights agreement averaging more than $6.25 million
per year paves the way for Little Caesars Arena branding on the roof of
the arena, on the exterior, at entrances and at center ice, among other
opportunities. In addition, Little Caesars will become the official
Detroit Red Wings Web site and social media presenting sponsor starting
with the 2017-18 NHL season. The agreement is estimated to be the
largest investment in a naming sponsorship for a building whose sole
professional sport is hockey.
“Little Caesars has experienced incredible growth over the last decade,” said David Scrivano, president and CEO of Little Caesars. “We were founded in the Detroit
area 57 years ago as a family company and grew to become the world’s
largest carryout-only pizza chain from right here in the city.
As we continue to add stores in more countries across the globe, and
as we prepare to expand our world headquarters campus right here in The
District Detroit to accommodate our growth, now is the perfect time to
sign on as a naming rights partner for what is going to be one of the
world’s premier sports and entertainment destinations. This sponsorship
will give us broader visibility than we’ve ever had before, and we
couldn’t be more excited about this amazing investment in our brand,
right down the street from our headquarters campus in the city we love.”
Little Caesars is the world’s largest carry-out pizza chain and
fastest growing pizza chain in America with stores in all 50 United
States and 18 international markets. Its famed HOT-N-READY® pizza
revolutionized the quick-service industry, offering consumers an
unprecedented level of convenience and quality, and is one of many
Little Caesars innovations that have transformed the pizza industry
since the company was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959.
Little Caesars Brand Tied to Storied Red Wings Hockey Franchise and World-Class, Innovative Arena
Little Caesars joins a growing list of sponsors for the new Detroit arena, including Landmark Sponsors Comerica Bank, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and Meijer, Inc.
“We’ve experienced an incredible response from our fans, our partners
and the community as the vision for this new facility and The District
Detroit have begun to come to life,” said Tom Wilson,
president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, the sports and entertainment
organization that oversees business operations for the Detroit Red
Wings. “There’s been quite the buzz about what company would have its
brand aligned with this best-in-class facility and the storied Detroit
Red Wings franchise, and we know that Little Caesars is the perfect fit
for this arena and everything it represents for our hockey club, our
organization, this community and our great city.”
Little Caesars Arena will feature a dramatic arena bowl, proximity to
the action and great sight lines for sporting events, entertainment
acts, concerts, family shows and community functions. Rich with the
tradition of the Original Six Detroit Red Wings and Detroit’s
incredible musical heritage, the arena will also feature
state-of-the-art technology, fan amenities geared toward creating
memorable experiences, innovations throughout, and active community
spaces like a streetscape-inspired concourse, a Red Wings practice rink
jointly used for youth hockey – including Little Caesars storied youth
hockey program – and an outdoor plaza with a massive video wall.
Little Caesars Arena and The District Detroit a Key to Fueling Detroit’s Resurgence
Little Caesars Arena and the accompanying 50 square blocks of
mixed-used development in The District Detroit represent a
transformative project adding to the positive momentum already underway
in Detroit’s redevelopment. Construction on the Little
Caesars Arena in The District Detroit’s Woodward Square neighborhood is
on schedule, with completion expected in the fall of 2017, prior to the
NHL hockey season. With substantial progress since the start of heavy
construction on both the new Little Caesars Arena and more than 200,000
square feet of office and retail space immediately surrounding it, there
are an estimated 400 workers on the site daily, including 40+ Detroit-resident apprentices.
“This sponsorship is another major investment by the Ilitch companies in Detroit,
its great people and its comeback story. It’s a proud day for Little
Caesars, the Detroit Red Wings, our community, and for my parents Mike and Marian Ilitch,” said Christopher Ilitch,
president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. “To have their first
business as the namesake of this building in their beloved hometown is
an amazing tribute to their careers and their love for the people here.
They decided decades ago that they would do everything they could to contribute to Detroit’s resurgence. Beginning with the renovation of the historic Fox Theatre and their relocation of Little Caesars headquarters to Detroit,
their vision was to create a bustling, live, work and play sports and
entertainment district. This is exactly what we’re building here with
The District Detroit and Little Caesars Arena.”
A third party analysis has estimated that The District Detroit will generate $2.1 billion in economic impact for the city, region and state of Michigan.
Since the project was launched, the focus has been on creating a
Michigan Made, Detroit Built sports and entertainment district. To date,
$416 million in contracts (92% of contracts) have been awarded to Michigan-based organizations and $298 million (66% of contracts) to Detroit-based and -headquartered businesses. In addition, Detroit residents have logged over 129,000 work hours on the site.
High-resolution renderings of Little Caesars Arena and the Little
Caesars Arena logo can be downloaded at DistrictDetroit.com or
LittleCaesars.com. More information about The District Detroit and 24/7
live streaming footage of the Little Caesars Arena construction site is
also available at DistrictDetroit.com.
About Little Caesars Pizza
Little Caesars Pizza, known for its HOT-N-READY® pizza and famed
Crazy Bread®, is the largest carry-out pizza chain and fastest growing
pizza chain in America*. Named “Best Value in America”** for the ninth
year in a row, Little Caesars products are made with quality
ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese,
dough made fresh daily in the stores and sauce made from fresh-packed,
vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes.
For franchisee candidates, Little Caesars is rapidly expanding in
markets throughout the world, providing an opportunity for
entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system. In addition, Little
Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized
and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar.
About The District Detroit
The District Detroit will be made up of a dynamic mix of sports and
entertainment venues, including six world-class theatres and three
multi-use sports venues – home to the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit
Tigers and the Detroit Lions. The District Detroit will also feature
residential, office and retail developments that connect these venues
into one contiguous, walkable area, where families, sports fans,
entrepreneurs, job seekers, entertainment lovers and others who crave a
vibrant urban setting can connect with each other and the city they
love.
Construction of the arena and surrounding District is expected to generate at least $2.1 billion in total economic impact, 12,500 construction and construction-related jobs and 1,100 permanent jobs. More than $100 million in income from the Little Caesars Arena project alone is expected for Detroit residents, with significant additional income to be created through future private development.
About Olympia Entertainment
Olympia Entertainment, a Detroit-based company owned by entrepreneurs Mike and Marian Ilitch,
is one of the country’s most diverse sports and entertainment companies
and the largest organization of its kind in the Midwest. The company
owns and operates Detroit’s Fox Theatre, the intimate City
Theatre and also books and operates Joe Louis Arena and books Comerica
Park. Olympia Entertainment also handles business operations for the
Detroit Red Wings, an Original Six member of the National Hockey League
and collaborates with the Detroit Tigers baseball franchise and other
Ilitch companies. Other Ilitch companies include: Ilitch Holdings, Inc.,
Little Caesars Pizza, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Champion
Foods, the Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising
Program and Olympia Development. Additionally, Mike Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers, and Marian Ilitch owns MotorCity Casino Hotel.
Note: A digital media kit, including a conceptual image and Little Caesars Arena logo, is available at DistrictDetroit.com
*Fastest growing pizza chain in the US – based on net number of
stores added 2008-2014 **Highest-Rated Chain – Value for the Money based
on a nationwide survey of quick-service restaurant consumers conducted
by Sandelman & Associates 2007-2015