QUINCY, Mass. — With a large group of stores in the home markets of both Super Bowl contenders, Stop & Shop isn’t taking anyone’s side for the big game but its shoppers’.
“We're in a fortunate position: Our NY Metro Division is the Official Supermarket of the Giants and our New England Division is a proud sponsor of the New England Patriots,” Suzi Robinson, a Stop & Shop spokeswoman, told SN. “The success of our local teams helps our customers and associates share their excitement for the big game.”
As an official sponsor of the Giants, Stop & Shop has exclusive rights to use the Giants logo in store displays and media. Its efforts as the playoffs progressed included sponsoring a series of Giants posters appearing in the New York Daily News, and creating a special Giants-themed reusable shopping bag, which it gave away to shoppers in a special event last week.
The chain earlier season also hosted several events with former Giants players at stores and at a special tailgate for store employees prior to one of its games, Robinson said.
In the New England area, Stop & Shop held a contest to win Patriots game tickets, signed footballs, and gift cards. The grand prize was a home tailgate party catered by Stop & Shop and a home visit from Patriots Hall of Fame player Steve Nelson.
Robinson declined to answer questions about the potential sales impact of the event for Stop & Shop, but said stores were highlighting prepared platters, football themes cakes and other items.
SN earlier this week reported on a trend among stores to emphasize fresh grab-and-go items to accompany the big game.
While food retailers can realize a boost in sales in certain categories as a result of Super Bowl parties, evidence of the game’s overall impact on the food retailing industry is difficult to come by, according to Caroline Evertz, a spokeswoman for Food Marketing Institute.
A 2001 report from researchers at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County suggested a potential link between the city whose team wins the Super Bowl and a slight increase in per capita income arising as a result of higher worker productivity in those cities, but said most Super Bowls had a negligible effect on overall commercial sales.
