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Metro proud new corporate sponsor of Toronto Maple Leafs & Marlies

TORONTO , Sept. 30 /CNW/ - Metro, a leading Ontario grocery chain, has teamed up with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies in a corporate partnership program for the 2009-10 NHL and AHL hockey season.

"Everyone at Metro is very excited about this corporate sponsorship, especially given it's with an institution like the Toronto Maple Leafs," said Marc Giroux , Vice President Marketing , Metro Inc. "Metro is about sharing quality food and bringing people together, and we feel there is great synergy shared with hockey and in particular the Toronto Maple Leafs."

Metro is launching its partnership program Wednesday, September 30 , at 4 pm in the Liberty Village store, 100 Lynn Williams Street . The store will be Metro's Hockey Headquarters for the 2009-10 NHL and AHL hockey season and on hand to help launch the program will be Hockey Hall of Famer and Leafs Alumnus Darryl Sittler.

"We're excited to launch our new partnership with an industry leader like Metro prior to the start of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Marlies seasons," said David Hopkinson , senior vice-president of corporate partnerships for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. "We see strong synergies between Metro and our hockey clubs. Our organizations share similar values when it comes to service, quality, the environment and community leadership. We look forward to a successful partnership."

Toronto radio station AM 640 will give away four pairs of platinum tickets for a Maple Leafs game with a pair for the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens on October 1st at the Air Canada Centre. Additionally, Metro will be sampling its Fresh 2 Go brand of pizza and Deli salads. Fresh 2 Go is Metro's exclusive brand that offers nutritious ready-made meal solutions to time-pressed and health-conscious families.

About Metro Ontario Inc.

Metro is a Canadian company with offices and operations in both Ontario and Quebec . Metro Ontario Inc. operates its 272 stores under two conventional banners, Metro and A&P, and under one discount banner, Food Basics. In 2009, all remaining A&P banners will be converted to the Metro name. The company employs over 30,000 people in Ontario. For further information, please visit metro.ca.

For further information: Leslie Powers, Manager, Communications, Metro Ontario Inc., [phone], [email protected]