Safeway sets up new Sharks deal with $1m promotion

NHL ice hockey team the San Jose Sharks has agreed a new partnership with long-term sponsor, supermarket chain Safeway.

Terms of the new deal were not disclosed, but Safeway will become the official grocery partner of the team. As part of the deal, Safeway will launch the $1m (€839,000) Score and Win promotion.

The promotion will begin this month and will run through January. Customers are automatically entered into the sweepstakes each time they shop and use their Safeway Club Card. They will receive bonus entries for purchasing participating products.

At the beginning of each Sharks game, the name of one Safeway shopper will be announced on television and radio as the potential grand prize winner of that game. If a Sharks player scores four goals in the game, that customer will receive $1m. If a Sharks player scores three goals in the game, that customer will win $100,000. Sharks defenseman Brent Burns is the spokesman for the program and will be featured in a television commercial.

The corporate partnership also includes signage at SAP Center at San Jose and additional opportunities for in-arena giveaways.

In the past four seasons, two San Jose Sharks players have scored four goals in a game. Additionally, in the past four seasons, Sharks players have scored three goals in a game another nine times.