Olympia Entertainment today announced Little Caesars Pizza has secured naming rights for the Detroit Red Wings’ new stadium in downtown Detroit, to be called the Little Caesars Arena. The company will pay $6.25 million per year under the terms of the 20-year agreement.
“This sponsorship is another major investment by the Ilitch companies in Detroit, its great people, and its comeback story,” says Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings Inc., the parent company of Little Caesars, the Detroit Red Wings, Olympia Entertainment, and the Detroit Tigers, among other organizations. “It’s a proud day for Little Caesars, the Detroit Red Wings, our community, and for my parents Mike and Marian Ilitch. 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.”
Under the terms of the deal, Little Caesars will received branding on the roof of the arena, on the exterior, at entrances, and at center ice, among other locations. Little Caesars will become the official Detroit Red Wings website and social media presenting sponsor starting with the 2017-18 National Hockey League season.
“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,” says David Scrivano, president and CEO of Little Caesars. “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 joins sponsors of the new arena including Comerica Bank, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, and Meijer Inc. The 20,000-seat-arena is set to open for the 2017-18 season.
“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,” says Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment.
Little Caesars Arena is one component of the $1.2 billion District Detroit, a mix of six theaters and three sports venues. The District Detroit will also feature residential, office and retail developments.
An article detailing the plans and investment opportunities in and around the new $627 million arena and the District Detroit is in the new May-June issue of DBusiness magazine, on newsstands next week.
