Puma Worldwide Expansion in Store; Beefeater Back as Extreme Golf Sponsor - other news briefs - Brief Article

Brandweek, June 4, 2001 by Hilary Cassidy

Building on the success of its profitable Santa Monica emporium, Puma's second standalone concept store opens this week in San Francisco, the first of four scheduled to open in 2001. Other units will bow in Paris in July in Manhattan's SoHo district in October and in Moscow before year's end.

"We want to convey the brand properly," said Lisa Beachy, a Puma rep. "When you have shop-in-shops in [retail] stores, the brand doesn't always get communicated well. In our stores you can see the scope without getting lost in the clutter."

The San Francisco store, located on Market Street with 2,700 square feet of selling space, will include the full range of Puma offerings including the Nuala yoga line, high-end Platinum product, Chari folding bicycles and sport-specific apparel and footwear.

The bulk of the store-related U.S. marketing support, still being planned, will revolve around the New York opening and impart a "posh" feel.

Puma is nothing if not posh these days, having just created a special make-up shoe for Madonna's dancers to wear during her summer tour. Puma also provides product to Macy Gray and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The most popular styles come from the Sports Lifestyle (SLS) line, retro sneakers updated with modern touches.

Kevin Gamett will be globetrotting this summer for And I on the "KG World Wide Ballin "Tour" The NBA all-star will spend three days each in London, Milan and Madrid in July, with a clinic and a community event planned at each stop. And 1 currently has presence in more than 30 countries.

Beefeater Gin is back for a second year as presenting sponsor of the U.X. Open Alternative Golf Tour.

The "extreme" golf tournament will be played over 10 holes on rough terrain at ski resorts this summer. Rules include a four-club limit, less severe penalties for lost balls and no dress code.

Qualifying prelims will be held at four resorts across the country in conjunction with entertainment events, such as music festivals.

The U.X. Open championship, featuring the top three finishers from each location, will take place at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y, on Sept. 8. ESPN2 will air a one-hour packaged highlight show of the championship round.

Beefeater gets on-course signage, program advertising and an in-event side competition called the Bold Shot Challenge. On-premise signage will be available for local accounts.

Support of the event matches Beefeater's new positioning this year as it updates the image of its namesake and works to appeal to a younger audience.

Extra Innings: The shuttering of the XFL hit staffers by surprise, more so because just days after the season ended several marketers were more or less committed to returning as partners in 2002, notably the U.S. Army, Pep Boys, Castrol, Lugz and Gatorade ... Thompson's Water Seal is teaming with Brooks Robinson, Nolan Ryan and Yogi Berra for a three-month in-store promotion beginning Aug. 1. Consumers who buy three gallons of waterproofers can mail in proof of purchase to receive a baseball valued at $75 and autographed by one of the Hall of Famers ... Toyota has re-upped for a third year as a Gravity Games sponsor. Activation includes a "watch and win" promotion ... Ken Derrett, svp-marketing partnerships at the NBA, is leaving at the end of June to return to his native Canada. Jonathan Press is being promoted from senior director to vp-marketing partnerships ... Keith Wachtel hired as senior account exec for sponsorship sales at the NFL, from director of integrated sales and marketing at agency SFX.