Canada: Sleeman Breweries and the City of Guelph announce new sponsorship agreement

Sleeman Breweries and the City of Guelph announced a new sponsorship agreement that will give Sleeman exclusive naming rights to the Guelph Sports & Entertainment Centre through 2020, Marketwire reported June 18. The deal, valued at $1.2-million over 13 years, runs from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2020, and will see the arena named the Sleeman Centre. It received final approval by Guelph City Council at a council meeting tonight.

"With over 150 years of history and tradition in the city of Guelph, I can't think of a better way to demonstrate Sleeman's ongoing commitment to the community than to put our name on one of the most popular, vibrant facilities in town," said John Sleeman, Chairman and CEO of Sleeman Breweries. "This is far and away one of the most significant initiatives Sleeman has ever undertaken and we're proud to partner with the City of Guelph to reinforce our hometown presence with the Sleeman Centre."

Home to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and host to a variety of events including the Dreams on Ice skating show, concerts by Great Big Sea and Wayne Newton, and the annual Shrine Circus to name a few, the newly named Sleeman Centre is a state-of-the-art facility with a seating capacity of 5,100 for ice events and 6,500 for concerts, trade shows and seminars. The facility opened in September, 2000, and is owned and operated by the City of Guelph.

"Sleeman Breweries is a tremendous local success story, and an outstanding corporate citizen," said Mayor Karen Farbridge. "They are an important part of our community, and I am delighted their name will adorn our sports and entertainment facility."

Sleeman is exploring a number of creative ways to further promote the Sleeman Centre sponsorship moving forward in partnership with the City of Guelph.

The arena sponsorship is the second major business initiative undertaken by Sleeman in the past few months, following the company's acquisition last year by Japan-based Sapporo Breweries. In December 2006, Sleeman purchased property adjacent to its Guelph facility to allow for future expansion.

"Sleeman remains highly committed to employing Canadians and to serving the Canadian market moving forward, as is clearly demonstrated by the Sleeman Centre sponsorship and our future facilities expansion plans," said Sleeman. "We continue to be a strong and competitive player in the domestic beer industry, with growing international opportunities as part of the global Sapporo family."

About Sleeman

Sleeman Breweries is the leading brewer and distributor of premium beer in Canada and the third largest brewing company nation-wide. The company has supplemented its core Sleeman brands, which are available in every province, with a family of exceptional regional brands. These include Okanagan Spring and Shaftebury in British Columbia and Alberta, Upper Canada in Ontario, Unibroue and Seigneuriale in Quebec and Maritime Beer in Atlantic Canada. Sleeman entered the rapidly growing value price category in 1999 by acquiring the Stroh portfolio brands in Canada. The company markets and/or distributes world class imported products such as Guinness, Grolsch, Samuel Adams, Scottish & Newcastle, Sol, and Pilsner Urquell. Sleeman also produces Sapporo for its parent company Sapporo Holdings Ltd., and its products are also available in selected international markets.

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