Marketplace Round-Up

The PITTSBURGH BUSINESS TIMES’ Tascarella & Reynolds report only four of the 48 hospitality tents available for the U.S. Open, which is being held June 14-17 at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh, remain for sale. Twenty-three 30-by-30-foot tents and 25 40-by-40-foot tents are selling for $115,000-175,000. The “Oakmont Village” hospitality area will be located near the third hole and will total over $12.8M. Also, only 40 of the approximately 185 corporate tables, which are selling for $37,500 each and will total over $6.9M, remain available (PITTSBURGH BUSINESS TIMES, 2/23 issue).

NATURAL PREDATOR: Five Sports Seasons stores in Tennessee last week received their first shipments of the No. 21 jersey of Predators C Peter Forsberg –- who was traded from the Flyers on February 16 — and sales “were strong.” Sports Seasons License Apparel Buyer Lance Bowers said that he ordered 24 jerseys company-wide and “might order more if they start selling out.” Bowers: “We’re kind of being careful with them right now. He’s not likely to be back next year.” Meanwhile, the Predators unveiled a new logo for the ’07-08 season celebrating their tenth year in the NHL (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 2/27).

STAR POWER: BUSINESSWEEK’s Burt Helm writes a “new breed of consultants,” including Platinum Rye, Creative License and Davie Brown Talent, are “promising corporate clients that they will take away some of the mystery” around the value of celebrity endorsers. The firms “track market prices for the celebrities,” and they offer “research to determine which stars are truly influential.” One advantage these firms have is they “are run by people familiar with the insular movie and music industries.” BBDO Worldwide President & CEO John Osborn said, “If I were to pick up a phone and call an agency, I have no idea if I’m getting the right price, or talking to the right person. I need someone who can navigate this world” (BUSINESSWEEK, 3/5 issue).

COLD PIZZA: CNBC’s Melissa Francis reported that in a recent interview with Elle Magazine, Jessica Simpson said she was “allergic to pizza” because every time “she ate pizza, it was making her sick.” Simpson has appeared in several of Pizza Hut’s spots that have aired during Super Bowl coverage (“On The Money,” CNBC, 2/26).