Supplier Spotlights: Anheuser-Busch, AdvancePierre & Mondelēz International

NATIONAL REPORT — While it's important for convenience store retailers to market themselves, the new products, services, promotions and other initiatives by c-store suppliers are a major part of capturing consumer interest. Convenience Store News will regularly highlight such efforts in this roundup.

Here are the latest supplier spotlights:

AdvancePierre Foods 

AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc. listed an initial public offering (IPO) of shares of its common stock on July 15. The company now trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol APFH.

To commemorate AdvancePierre's debut as a public company, President and CEO John Simons, accompanied by members of AdvancePierre's leadership team and board of directors, visited the company's designated market maker on the NYSE to observe the opening of trading in APFH stock. It also officially closed the trading day by ringing the closing bell.

A selection of sandwiches, burgers and snacks from AdvancePierre's BIG AZ, Hot 'n' Ready, PB Jamwich and The Pub brands were part of the celebration, with AdvancePierre uniformed "chefs" serving up breakfast and lunch on the NYSE trading floor.

"Today's celebration marks an exciting and important milestone for AdvancePierre, and we are thrilled to make our public debut on the New York Stock Exchange," Simons said. "This is the beginning of a new and important chapter for AdvancePierre. We are incredibly proud of the company that our talented leadership team and employees have helped build, and we look forward to continuing to grow our business and delight our customers with superior service and great-tasting, innovative food solutions."

Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch's Busch beer brand served as the title sponsor for the B.A.S.S. fishing organization's Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake fishing tournament in Union Springs, N.Y., on June 23-26. More than 100 of the top bass anglers in the world competed for the $100,000 first-place prize. 

"Busch beer has a well-established dedication to outdoorsmen who enjoy fishing our nation's lakes and streams — whether they're professionals or amateurs," said Chelsea Phillips, senior director, US Value Brands, Anheuser-Busch. "We're thrilled to serve as the title sponsor of the Bassmaster Elite and look forward to raising a glass to recognize the angler who earns a win at Cayuga Lake."

At the tournament, Busch offered fans the chance to win the ultimate fishing getaway with professional bass fisherman and four-time GEICO Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam in its "Catch One. Win Big" promotion. The brand also provided product sampling at the Bassmaster Elite Outdoors Expo.

Consumers who find one of 100,000 gold trophy cans randomly seeded in packs of Busch and Busch Light can take a picture of themselves with the can and submit it at www.Busch.com. They will then be entered for a chance to win weekly prizes, such as GoPro cameras, sonar systems, tackle boxes, fishing bobbers, and more. Five people will win the grand prize of a fishing trip to one of four possible destinations with VanDam. 

Hunt Brothers Pizza

Hunt Brothers Pizza served as the primary sponsor for NASCAR driver Ken Schrader and the No. 71 Contreras Motorsports Toyota Tundra at the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, held July 20 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, as part of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

"This is such a nostalgic moment to be back with Ken Schrader, our very first driver when we started in NASCAR," said Keith Solsvig, vice president of marketing for Hunt Brothers Pizza. "Ken is one of the sport's most iconic drivers. We're excited to be with Ken and the newly formed Contreras Motorsports team for this race."

Hunt Brothers Pizza first got involved with NASCAR as a team partner in 2008, when the company sponsored Haas CNC Racing.

"As the first driver to carry the red, white and green colors for Hunt Brothers Pizza at Talladega in 2008, I am excited to be back racing with them for the July truck race at Eldora," said Schrader. "It is a great brand and a terrific family to work with. I'm proud to be in the Hunt Brothers Pizza truck and hope we can repeat some of the success we've had in the Camping World Truck Series at Eldora."

Mondelēz International Inc.

The first-of-its-kind "Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent" event will be broadcast live on Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m. on FOX. Viewers will see an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at world-class skydiver Luke Aikins' preparations to jump out of a plane with nothing but the clothes on his back, negotiate his fall, and land safely using only air currents.

"When we first heard what Luke Aikins was going to attempt, our jaws hit the floor," said Bonin Bough, chief media and e-commerce officer for Mondelēz International. "Bringing Luke's vision to life will redefine what's possible for skydiving and stunts moving forward. His focus, courage and intensity inspire us on so many levels."

The Stride Gum brand from Mondelēz is sponsoring the historic live stunt experience.

"Luke is actually a very down-to-earth guy," said Laura Henderson, global head of content and media monetization at Mondelēz International. "But his thinking is so bold and intense that we all felt this was the perfect event to team up with as we launch our new mad-intense Stride Gum campaign."

Xcaliber International

Cigarette and cigar manufacturer Xcaliber International plans to acquire tobacco products manufacturer Tantus Tobacco. The acquisition includes all Tantus cigarette, cigar and pipe tobacco brands manufactured prior to 2007. The transaction will move manufacturing to Xcaliber's 100,000-square-foot production facility in Oklahoma.

All brands will serve as predicate tobacco products and likely be grandfathered under the Food and Drug Administration's final deeming rule for electronic cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco, similar to cigarettes. Tantus family brands include 24/7, Mainstreet, Sport, Gsmoke, Berley, Berkley cigarettes, as well as Red Buck and Richwood filtered cigars. Bacco and Red Buck pipe tobacco will also be included in the deal.

"As our production facility and manufacturing efficiency have grown, expanding our product portfolio is a natural progression for us," said Xcaliber International CEO Derrick Taylor. "We also saw the FDA's announcement on the horizon and knew we had to be proactive."

The additional Tantus sales personnel will more than double Xcaliber's existing sales staff and significantly expand the company's reach into new markets.

"I'm thrilled to see Xcaliber take our established brands and extend them into new areas. For many years, we produced a quality product that rivaled those of major manufacturers," said Brian Cooper, founder and CEO of Tantus. "Xcaliber will provide an opportunity for me to watch products the Tantus team created grow and prosper. Clearly, Tantus and Xcaliber have a great deal of synergy."

The manufacturing and sales transition plan should be completed by Aug. 1.