AEG and Herbalife Announce Amgen Tour of California
Sponsorship;
Agreement Extends Herbalife Partnership as the Official Nutrition Co. for Professional Bicycle Race
Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) and AEG announced a multi-year
sponsorship agreement that names Herbalife as a Founding Partner and the
official nutrition company of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California, an
internationally sanctioned professional cycling race to be held February 19-26,
2006.
Owned and operated by AEG, this event joins the cycling
calendar as one of North America's most anticipated events for 2006. Modeled
after the Tour de France, 16 of the world's best professional cycling teams will
compete across more than 600 miles of scenic California roadway as the race
makes its way from San Francisco to Redondo Beach, Calif.
In addition to its role as Founding Partner and official
nutrition company, Herbalife joins the tour as the exclusive presenting sponsor
of the race's final stage in Redondo Beach and of Autograph Alley, where the
riders will sign in at the start of each stage.
"We are pleased that Herbalife, a dynamic, California-based
company focused on helping people live healthy and active lifestyles, has become
a founding partner of the Amgen Tour of California," commented Shawn Hunter,
president, AEG Sports. "As the highest profile professional cycling event in the
United States for 2006, the Amgen Tour of California will provide a highly
visible platform for Herbalife through their network of distributors."
Herbalife currently supports other programming owned by AEG,
including tennis programming, international soccer, cycling events held at the
ADT Event Center (an indoor velodrome located at The Home Depot Center), and
track & field meets, among others.
"The Tour of California is another of our initiatives to
associate the Herbalife brand with health, fitness and community service," said
Greg Probert, Herbalife president and chief operating officer. "The multiple
stages, locations and activities provide an opportunity for our independent
distributors to introduce the public to our products."
Herbalife brands include the Shapeworks(TM) weight
management program; Liftoff(TM) effervescent energy drink; NouriFusion(TM)
multivitamin skin care; and the company's new heart health line. Samples and
other information about Herbalife brands can be found at the Herbalife
exhibition booth during each stage of the race at the Amgen Tour of California
Lifestyle Festival.
About Herbalife: Herbalife is a global network marketing company that sells
weight management, nutritional supplement and personal care products intended to
support a healthy lifestyle. Herbalife products are sold in 60 countries through
a network of more than one million independent distributors. In 2004, the
company had net sales of $1.3 billion.
About AEG: AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment
presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz
Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies, including facilities
such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, The Manchester Evening News Arena
and NOKIA Live at Grand Prairie; sports franchises including the Los Angeles
Kings (NHL), four Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated
in Europe and management of privately owned shares of the Los Angeles Lakers
(NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA); AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming
rights and consulting company; AEG Merchandising, a multi-faceted merchandising
company; AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency and AEG
LIVE, a worldwide leading concert and promotion agency devoted to all aspects of
live entertainment.
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