LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) and the National Football
League today announced that the pizza company known for its "Better
Ingredients, Better Pizza" is now the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL
in Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
The multi-year deal expands Papa John's official sponsorship of the NFL
and the Super Bowl beyond the borders of the United States. In 2010,
Papa John's signed an agreement to be the Official Pizza Sponsor of the
NFL and Super Bowls XLV, XLVI and XLVII. That deal was the largest in
Papa John's history and includes category exclusivity among delivery and
carryout pizza brands.
The official sponsorship with the NFL in Canada, Mexico and the United
Kingdom is effective immediately and includes providing Papa John's
category exclusivity and rights to use NFL and team logos and trademarks
in marketing and advertising. Papa John's also will be the Official
Pizza Sponsor of the NFL's International Series game played annually
during the regular season in the United Kingdom.
"The National Football League is growing in these markets, and so is
Papa John's, and that makes this deal a win-win-win: for the NFL, Papa
John's and our customers," said Andrew Varga, Papa John's chief
marketing officer. "Papa John's, our franchises and our customers in the
United States have benefitted greatly from our sponsorship of the NFL,
and we're confident that expanding our official sponsor status to
include Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom will score big for our
brand and customers in those countries."
Papa John's currently franchises 53 restaurants throughout Canada, and
49 throughout Mexico, including 18 in Mexico City. Papa John's and its
franchisees currently operate 167 Papa John's restaurants in the United
Kingdom.
The NFL has steadily grown its fan base in Canada, Mexico and the United
Kingdom, including playing regular season games in each country. This
Sunday (Oct. 23), Chicago and Tampa Bay play in the fifth annual
International Series game at Wembley Stadium in London. Earlier this
month, the NFL expanded its commitment to playing regular-season games
in the United Kingdom by approving a resolution authorizing the league
to schedule regular-season games in the U.K. in each of the next five
years (2012-2016), including to determine the number of games per
season, the venues, and the competing teams.
In addition to being the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL in the United
States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom, Papa John's is the
Official Pizza Sponsor of the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons,
Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts,
Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles,
Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans and Washington
Redskins.
Headquartered in Louisville, Ky. (USA), Papa John's International, Inc.
(NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza company. For 10 of the
past 12 years, Americans have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer
satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer
Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also was honored by Restaurants &
Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers'
Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. Papa John's is the Official Pizza
Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLV, XLVI and
XLVII. For more information about the company or to order pizza online,
visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com.
© 2011 NFL Properties LLC. Team names/logos/indicia are trademarks of
the teams indicated. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of
the National Football League.
Papa John's International, Inc.
Tish Muldoon, 502-261-4987
Senior
Director, Public Relations
Tish_Muldoon@papajohns.com
Source: Papa John's International, Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media
