SCENE and Sport Chek Announce Strategic Marketing Partnership

Sport Chek, Cineplex and Scotiabank to attract new customers through year-round marketing campaigns and highly-attractive lifestyle and entertainment rewards

SCENE loyalty members will be able to earn and redeem points for products sold at Sport Chek

• One SCENE point for every $1 spent at Sport Chek
• $10 off for every 1,000 SCENE points redeemed at Sport Chek
• Special bonus offers for free movies and SCENE points on promotions tied to top national brands at Sport Chek

National launch in mid-November to include over 180 Sport Chek stores, more than 1,100 Scotiabank branches and ABM machines, movie 'preview' advertising at over 160 Cineplex theatres and targeted offers to 6 million SCENE members

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2014 /CNW/ - SCENE, Canada's fastest growing loyalty program with six million members, today announced sports and active lifestyle retailer, Sport Chek, as its first long-term strategic marketing partner.  The addition of Sport Chek reflects SCENE's evolution to Canada's largest lifestyle and entertainment loyalty program. SCENE is a joint venture between Cineplex Entertainment and Scotiabank.

As part of this strategic marketing partnership, Sport Chek (a banner of FGL Sports Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC)), Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) and Cineplex Inc. (TSX:CGX), will extend the benefits of SCENE, enabling members to earn and redeem points for products available at more than 180 Sport Chek locations across Canada.

"The addition of our first major, long-term retail partner is a milestone achievement for SCENE," said Shawn Bloom, General Manager, SCENE LP. "Our members are social seekers – fans of movies, entertainment and pop culture, but are also overwhelmingly active and engaged in sport. We know the addition of Sport Chek to our program will be a huge hit with members."

In addition to the program's long-standing entertainment rewards, SCENE members will have access to premier sporting events, opportunities to meet sports heroes and much more.  Co-marketing efforts are expected to attract a significant number of new customers for the organizations as SCENE continues to grow.

Plans are underway for a major national launch in mid-November, using 'owned assets' as primary advertising vehicles.  This includes signage at over 180 Sport Chek stores across the country, signage and promotional information at more than 1,100 Scotiabank branches, on-screen advertising on Scotiabank ABM machines, extensive pre-show advertising in more than 160 Cineplex theatre locations and targeted offers to SCENE's six million members.  The partners will also use extensive digital advertising channels, including Facebook and Google, to reach their target audience of 14-40 year old customers and young families. 

"Canada has never seen such a rich loyalty program targeted to those who love sports and entertainment," said Duncan Fulton, Chief Marketing Officer for Sport Chek.  "We see this as a major opportunity to build a strong connection with our customers – young, digitally savvy individuals and families – who spend a tonne of active and entertainment time together. Our expectation is that this strategic partnership will attract new customers and help showcase the benefits of being active in sports."

"This is the most powerful example so far of the co-marketing partnership between Scotiabank, Canadian Tire Corporation and their subsidiary, Sport Chek," said John Doig, Chief Marketing Officer for Scotiabank.  "We have an incredible offering for SCENE members and Sport Chek customers – so powerful that it will inevitably attract significant new customers for everyone involved."

"We have always believed that SCENE could evolve from being an entertainment-based loyalty program to something that is more deeply rooted in a broader Canadian lifestyle," said Dan McGrath, Chief Operating Officer of Cineplex.  "Sport Chek introduces a whole new world of sport and active living experiences – access to the top athletic brands in the world – and our new partnership makes it really attractive for SCENE members to earn and redeem their loyalty points in more locations."

About SCENE LP:
SCENE®, the entertainment rewards program launched by Scotiabank and Cineplex Entertainment in 2007, is free to join and offers members an immediate 10% discount on movie snacks and 10% more off already discounted Tuesday tickets, purchased at any Cineplex Entertainment location. With more than six million members across Canada, SCENE enables members to earn and redeem points for music, movies, DVDs, movie downloads and concessions. Members can also accelerate their earning power with the SCENE® ScotiaCard®* debit card and SCENE® VISA* card.

About FGL Sports: 
Part of the Canadian Tire Family of Companies, FGL Sports Ltd. is Canada's largest national retailer of sporting goods. Offering a comprehensive assortment of brand-name and private-brand products and operating more than 400 stores from coast-to-coast, FGL Sports includes the following corporate and franchise banners: Sport Chek, Sports Experts, Atmosphere, Pro Hockey Life, National Sports, Intersport, Nevada Bob's Golf, Hockey Experts, the Tech Shop, and S3. FGL Sports also has websites for several of its corporate and franchise banners which can be accessed through its main website at www.FGLSports.com.

About Cineplex:
Cineplex Inc. ("Cineplex") is one of Canada's leading entertainment companies and operates one of the most modern and fully digitized motion picture theatre circuits in the world.   A top-tier Canadian brand, Cineplex operates numerous businesses including theatrical exhibition, food services, gaming, alternative programming (Front Row Centre Events), Cineplex Media, Cineplex Digital Solutions, Cineplex Digital Networks, and the online sale of home entertainment content through CineplexStore.com and on apps embedded in various electronic devices.  Cineplex is also a joint venture partner in SCENE – Canada's largest entertainment loyalty program.

Cineplex is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and operates 161 theatres with 1,639 screens from coast to coast, serving approximately 77 million guests annually through the following theatre brands: Cineplex Odeon, SilverCity, Galaxy Cinemas, Scotiabank Theatres, Cineplex Cinemas and Cineplex VIP Cinemas presented by Scotiabank.  Cineplex also owns and operates the UltraAVX, Poptopia, and Outtakes brands.  Cineplex trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CGX.  More information is available at Cineplex.com.

About Scotiabank:
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through our team of more than 86,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates offer a broad range of products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking to over 21 million customers. With assets of $792 billion (as at July 31, 2014), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York (NYSE: BNS) Exchanges. Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information please visit scotiabank.com.

SOURCE: FGL Sports Ltd.