Like hockey sticks, soccer cleats and shoulder pads, Gatorade wants to be considered an intrinsic piece of athletic equipment. To achieve its goal, it developed a program in collaboration with sports retailer Sport Chek (owned by FGL Sports, which was recently acquired by Canadian Tire) that involved the creation of a sports nutrition centre featuring Gatorade’s G Series line as the anchor products. Perpsico has certainly scored with this program given that it’s the first time its products have been stocked at the chain, which was previously partnered with Coke.
Launched in September in 145 stores, the nutrition centre also provides Sport Chek customers with education around the G Series line, which includes: Gatorade Prime, a pre-game beverage designed to be used 15 minutes before exercise sessions to help jumpstart performance; Gatorade Perform (the original Gatorade and G2), which helps to support exercise by rehydrating, replenishing and refueling athletes; and Gatorade Recover, the final step of the G Series system, which promotes rehydration and helps to rebuild muscles.
The nutrition centre also houses an assortment of Gatorade-branded sports merchandise, including towels, sports bottles and coolers, constituting the first time the brand has sold such products in Canada. To help further educate customers about the benefits of the G Series, Sport Chek staff members were trained by Gatorade brand and nutrition experts on the role of sports nutrition and how it fuels athletic achievement.
“Our goal with the in-store placement was to continue to strengthen our positioning as the total athletic provider for sports nutrition and penetrate where the athlete shops for their equipment,” says Shirley Mukerjea, director of marketing (hydration brands), Pepsico. “By providing our total Gatorade portfolio at Sport Chek, we continue to get closer to our athlete consumer and become an intrinsic part of their equipment and training program. This is exactly where our athletes, coaches, and supporters are shopping so it was the perfect partnership for Gatorade.”
Mukerjea says the program has experienced excellent results to date, and based on its early success, it launched in December at FGL Sports franchise banner Hockey Experts. Pepsico is currently in discussions with the FGL sports franchise division about the opportunity to launch at their other banners including Sports Experts and Atmosphere in Quebec.
“The G Series is a sport nutrition platform that is still evolving,” says Mukerjea. “As we continue to track our performance with this program we will be evaluating opportunities to expand by penetrating more ‘points of athlete sweat and shop’ and innovation.”
