MARKET BRIEFS 1996-04-01

Two Food Brokers Combine

d brokers Advantage Sales & Marketing here and Crown Inc., Los Angeles, have combined their operations, creating a strong regional broker business spanning California.

The new company, formed in late March, is called Advantage Crown, and will be headquartered in southern California, with operations in northern California and, in the near future, Utah. Terms of the transaction were not released.

Sonny King, currently president and chief executive officer of Advantage, will be chairman and CEO of the combined company. Bill Yingling, presently chairman and CEO of Crown, will become executive vice president of operations.

Gatorade Sets NBA Promotion

CHICAGO -- Quaker Oats' Gatorade brand has selected Matrixx Marketing Inc., Cincinnati, to handle customer service inquiries and fulfillment for its upcoming bottle cap promotion, called "Sweat It Out."

The contest, run in affiliation with the National Basketball Association, is the first bottle cap promotion by Quaker, based here. Each cap will highlight an NBA team and the number of wins it will get in the playoffs. Holders of correct caps call in to win prizes.

Matrixx, a leading supplier of outsourced telephone marketing, will handle incoming calls from Gatorade's (800) 60-SWEAT, and (800) GATORADE toll-free numbers.

Huffy to Merchandise Nelson Line

NORWALK, Conn. -- The Thomas Nelson Company here, a manufacturer of infant gift sets, has selected Huffy Service First, Dayton, Ohio, to merchandise its new Stepping Stones infant products brand in some 2,100 Kmart stores.

Service First merchandisers were expected to begin working with Kmart personnel to re-set the product line in March.