Singha clinches beer deal with Chelsea FC

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Singha clinches beer deal with Chelsea FC 
Bangkok Post: 6 Aug 2010
Singha clinches B400m deal with Chelsea FC

Singha Corporation, the brewer of Singha beer, expects that sales of its beverages will shrink to 70% of total sales in the next five years from 85% currently.

‘‘Singha will have business in both local and overseas markets. Overseas marketing activities will help drive up our sales in the future as well,’’ says Mr Piti

In the next five years, sales of non-alcoholic beverages will increase to 20% of total sales from 15% currently and sales from new businesses such as packed rice will represent 10%, group marketing manager Piti BhiromBhakdisaid yesterday.

"Singha will have business in both local and overseas markets. Overseas marketing activities will help drive up our sales in the future as well," he said.

Singha Corp is trying to lift the profile its brand further in international markets. It clinched a sponsorship deal worth 350 million baht last month to be the official beer for Manchester United Football Club in the United Kingdom.

Yesterday, it announced the second sponsorship deal with Chelsea as the club's official beer for four years.

Under the new deal worth 8 million (or 400 million baht), Singha Corp can sell its beer, soda and drinking water at the Stamford Bridge stadium in London with its corporate logo appearing in the football field for four years.

"Chelsea has up to 100 million football fans around the world and if they can see our brand logo in every match for four years, our products will have more opportunities to reach them as well," Mr Piti said.

Chatchai Wiratyosin, the company's marketing director, said it could also use pictures of Manchester United and Chelsea football players in its advertising in both Thailand and overseas.

Singha Corp will spend 2 billion baht in total on international marketing activities including sponsorships in the next three to five years.

Singha Corp serves the markets in Europe through a German brewer and an English bottler. It also has plans to find a partner over there to help develop products to serve the specific needs in the continent.

At home, Mr Piti said, the 100-billion-baht local beer market had been declining for two years. Even if the situation gets better this year, the market could grow by just 2-3%.

This year, Singha Corp forecasts its total sales will reach 80 billion baht, up from 70 billion baht last year.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/189717/singha-clinches-b400m-deal-with-chelsea-fc
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King Power on ball with English club buyout plan

Bangkok Post * Published: 6/08/2010

King Power Group is going ahead with its plan to buy Leicester City Football Club in England in a deal expected to cost 2billion baht.

Voramas Raksriaksorn, the company's creative and communications director, said yesterday the purchase was under negotiation and she was not in a position to give details.

King Power plans to hold a news conference next week to explain the deal.

"My father [Vichai Raksriaksorn] loves sport," Ms Voramas said.

"All the rumours about the Leicester City Football Club will be cleared up very soon."

Mr Vichai is chairman and chief executive officer of King Power Group, the operator of King Power duty free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport and in the city.

The company expects two marketing campaigns in the second half of the year to help it achieve its sales target of 1.6 billion baht for the King Power Complex in Rang Nam Road.

The duty free shop was badly affected by the recent political turmoil, but still managed to record sales revenue of 700 million baht in the first half.

"First-half sales are close to the figure for the same period last year," said the group's member relations manager, Worawit Kietparadorn.

"If we don't do anything, the full-year sale is unlikely to reach the target of 1.6 billion baht."

Sales at the Rang Nam outlet fell by 20% in the second quarter due to the political unrest in April and May.

The company hopes the situation will improve in the third quarter with sales expected to rise by 10%.

"We see good signs in terms of customer spending, particularly domestic tourists," Mr Worawit said.

"We hope our aggressive marketing campaigns will help attract more customers."

The company has introduced a Shop & Ride campaign costing more than 10million baht to give away a Fiat 500 car every month for a period of six months.

It plans to launch another campaign in October to celebrate the anniversary of its foundation.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/189700/king-power-on-ball-with-english-club-buyout-plan