Enjoying an ice cream snack on a hot day is as much a part of summer vacation as sliding down a waterslide. Two prominent brands -- one representing cold confections, the other waterpark fun – are tapping into this cool synergy by inking a deal just weeks before the launch of the busy summer travel season. Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF) today announced a five-year partnership with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc. that will position Dreyer’s, Edy’s and Nestlé brands as the official ice cream of the 11 Great Wolf Resorts properties located around the country.
Great Wolf Resorts guests can enjoy Dreyer’s, Edy’s and Nestlé products in all resort restaurants, mobile distribution units and vending areas beginning June 2008 with full rollout by July 4th, 2008. In addition, Great Wolf Resorts is piloting the Dreyer’s and Edy’s brand new interactive concept “Loaded” for potential inclusion in the product portfolio as well as offering resort guests a taste of another exciting new ice cream innovation. The partnership will also allow for the development of various marketing and promotional programs between the two companies.
“We are delighted to partner with the leading ice cream brands,” said Marion Edwards, Corporate Director of Food & Beverage for Great Wolf Resorts. “The good feelings people have regarding these brands make this as much about creating wonderful childhood memories as offering delicious snacks.”
Craig Hettrich, Director of National Accounts and Business Development for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc., the makers of Dreyer’s, Edy’s and Nestlé products, echoed that sentiment. “Great Wolf Resorts provide exciting and memorable vacation destinations for families. Kids of all ages become positively giddy when an ice cream treat is handed to them, and that’s why we’re especially pleased with this partnership, because we’ll be a part of those special vacation moments too,” said Hettrich.
The agreement was developed through the efforts of The Kempton Group (TKG), a Cincinnati, Ohio based firm that represents Great Wolf Resorts in its corporate partnerships and strategic alliances.
Other well-known brand products available at Great Wolf Resorts include Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Pepsi, Aquafina, Little Tikes and Bank of America. For more information, visit the company’s web site a www.greatwolf.com.
About Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® and Blue Harbor Resort™ brands. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company and owns and/or manages Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; and Grand Mound, Wash.; and Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center in Sheboygan, Wis. A Great Wolf Lodge currently is under construction in Concord, N.C. and a 203-suite expansion is under construction at the company’s Grapevine resort.
The company’s resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that generally feature 300 – 400 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 – 100,000 square feet. The all-suite properties offer a variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed restaurants, spas, supervised children’s activities and other amenities. Additional information may be found on the company’s Web site at http://www.greatwolf.com/.
About Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream
Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc., and its subsidiaries manufacture and distribute a full spectrum of ice cream and frozen dessert products. Brands of frozen dessert products currently manufactured or distributed by Dreyer’s in the United States include Grand, Slow Churned®, Dibs®, Häagen-Dazs®, Nestlé® Drumstick®, Nestlé Crunch®, Nestlé Butterfinger®, Nestlé Toll House®, Nestlé Carnation®, Nestlé Push-Up®, Frosty Paws®, Eskimo Pie®, Fruit Bars, Starbucks® and The Skinny Cow®. The company’s premium products are marketed under the Dreyer’s brand name throughout the Western states and Texas, and under the Edy’s® brand name throughout the remainder of the United States. Internationally, the Dreyer’s brand extends to select markets in the Far East and the Edy’s brand extends to the Caribbean and South America. For more information on the company, please visit www.dreyersinc.com.
The Starbucks trademark is owned by Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC and is licensed to the Starbucks Ice Cream Partnership, a joint venture partnership between Dreyer’s and Starbucks Holding Company. In the U.S. the Haagen-Dazs trademark is sublicensed to Dreyer’s by Nestlé.
Contacts:
Steve Shattuck
608.661.4700
or sshattuck@greatwolf.com
