Exclusive brand with Cincinnati Reds could raise fan fever, and heat up the hometown image.
Just in time for this week’s start of the Major League Baseball season - and home grilling and tailgating activities – Kroger has launched an exclusive brand of ballpark food products with the Cincinnati Reds.
Called Reds Home Team, the line includes corn dogs, soft pretzels, brat buns, bottled water, Italian ices and peanuts, according to a Cincinnati Business Courier account. For example, Kroger stores in this market sell 32-packs of the bottled water, while a single bottle sells for $4.50 at the ballpark.
The Lempert Report sees this as a smart extension of its 60-year-old sponsorship of the ball club. According to the Reds website, 57 Kroger stores sell game tickets via Ticketmaster at its customer service desks. In 2012, fans that bought select tickets to certain games got vouchers for a free Kroger Meal Deal at the stadium – a hot dog, 16-oz. Coke, bag of chips and a snack that typically sells for $8.
We suggest a few ideas that could possibly drive this Home Team concept further for Kroger – as well as for other retailers looking to emulate it with different teams in their respective trading areas: