NASCAR Thunder, the Official Store of NASCAR, will open
its fifth location on April 16 at Kenwood Towne Centre in
Cincinnati, OH (NASCAR). NASCAR Thunder and other marketing
endeavors are examined in the May issue of INSIDE SPORTS.
The Winston Cup series "is riding a surge in popularity into
the mainstream sports scene, and its retail strategy is
positioned to capitalize on that momentum. The flagship of
NASCAR's efforts - the Thunder store - has proved dizzyingly
successful" (IS, 5/97 issue)....The NHL will debut new
promotional ads around the Stanley Cup Playoffs featuring
some Hollywood celebrities and NHL fans. The spots will air
nationally and regionally throughout the playoffs beginning
April 16. Among those featured include Scott Wolf of "Party
of Five," Matthew Perry of "Friends," Michael J. Fox of
"Spin City," Denis Leary, "ET's" Julie Moran, Kiss,
Metallica's James Hetfield, and Aerosmith (NHL)....Golden
Bear Golf dropped 2 1/4, or 18%, to 10 1/4 on the NYSE
yesterday after Merrill Lynch lowered its intermediate-term
rating on the company to "neutral" from "accumulate," while
maintaining a long-term "buy" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/11)
