USA TODAY Launches Inaugural Wine Club

Rhea-AI Summary

USA TODAY, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), has launched the USA TODAY Wine Club, offering consumers a way to discover local winemakers and their stories. The club provides bi-monthly and quarterly collections starting at $89.99, supporting small businesses and local economies. Members receive curated wine selections, Southern Kitchen recipe pairings, and discounted access to USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience events.

The club aims to extend USA TODAY's brand and storytelling by spotlighting local producers and suppliers. Each shipment includes a unique 'Wine Words' crossword challenge and a corkage wine club credit. The procurement and fulfillment partner, Studio Beverage Group, brings over 50 years of wine club experience and expert guidance from certified professionals.

Positive

• Launch of USA TODAY Wine Club, potentially creating a new revenue stream
• Leveraging USA TODAY's existing audience of 132 million unique monthly visitors
• Supporting local businesses and economies through wine selection
• Potential for increased engagement through wine and food events
• Partnerships with experienced industry professionals for wine selection and fulfillment

Negative

• availability, excluding residents of six states
• Potential competition in the saturated wine club market

Club spotlights local wine producers and suppliers in communities across the country

New York, NY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- USA TODAY, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), today announced the launch of the USA TODAY Wine Club, a way for consumers who appreciate wine to discover local winemakers and their inspiring stories. The club reaffirms the commitment of the USA TODAY Network to enrich communities by providing an engaged audience of over 132 million unique monthly visitors with the content they seek in a new and refreshing manner.

The USA TODAY Wine Club offers something for everyone, whether a connoisseur or a novice beginning to learn more about wine. Half-case and full-case bi-monthly and quarterly collections are available at prices beginning at $89.99. The Wine Club supports small businesses and local economies with selected winemakers who are neighbors, family, and friends in communities across the nation.

“For more than 40 years, USA TODAY has been connecting communities across the nation by telling their stories,” said Imtiaz Patel, Gannett Chief Consumer Officer. “With a network comprised of over 200 local news publications, USA TODAY Wine Club offers the opportunity to extend our brand and storytelling by spotlighting local producers and suppliers while providing an engaging experience for our audience as well as new consumers who have an appreciation for wine.”

Seasonally curated collections from summer rosés to robust winter reds will provide a sensory journey year-round. Wine pairings are carefully selected to complement Southern Kitchen recipes that are featured in each club shipment. Membership also provides discounted access to the USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience, featuring USA TODAY Wine Club wines along with the opportunity to connect with fellow enthusiasts and become a member in select local markets including San Francisco, CA (October 19), Phoenix, AZ (November 2) and Naples, FL (November 16). Each club shipment includes a unique USA TODAY ‘Wine Words’ crossword challenge and members receive a corkage wine club credit when they bring a USA TODAY Wine Club bottle to a favorite restaurant.

The USA TODAY Wine Club procurement and fulfillment partner, Studio Beverage Group, is comprised of industry leaders rooted deeply in the wine industry. Representing legacy wine clubs and innovative direct-to-consumer brands, the team has more than 50 years of wine club experience. Wine selections are guided by an expert team of Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) and Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certified professionals. Additionally, this team leverages extensive relationships with wineries and winemakers which have been cultivated over decades.

Join the USA TODAY Wine Club to uncork exclusive sommelier tips, insights, mouthwatering recipes and pairings, plus special behind-the-scenes stories from featured local winemakers at wineclub.usatoday.com. Wine club memberships are not available to residents of Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah.

ABOUT USA TODAY

Since its introduction in 1982, USA TODAY has been a cornerstone of the national media landscape under its recognizable and respected brand. It also serves as the foundation for our newsroom network which allows for content sharing capabilities across our local and national markets. Through USA TODAY, we deliver high-quality, trusted content with a commitment to balanced, unbiased journalism, where and when consumers want to engage. Across our digital platforms we reach an audience of approximately 79 million unique visitors each month (based on December 2023 Comscore Media Metrix^®).

ABOUT GANNETT

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a sustainable, growth focused media and digital marketing solutions company. We endeavor to deliver essential content, marketing solutions, and experiences for curated audiences, advertisers, consumers, and stakeholders by leveraging our diverse teams and suite of products to enrich the local communities and businesses we serve. Our current portfolio of trusted media brands includes the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY, and local media organizations in the United States, and Newsquest, a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom. Our digital marketing solutions brand, LocaliQ, uses innovation and software to enable small and medium-sized businesses to grow, and USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, our events division, creates impactful consumer engagements, promotions, and races.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements relating to whether the transaction will drive Gannett’s revenue and cash flow growth, or result in an expansion of Gannett’s client base, are all forward looking statements. These statements represent our opinions, expectations, beliefs, intentions, estimates or strategies regarding the future, which may not be realized. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict,” “potential,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “ongoing,” “future” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially and/or significantly different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, see the risks and other factors detailed in Gannett’s 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Gannett’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and each of Gannett’s other filings with the SEC, in each case as such factors may be updated from time to time. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Gannett disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240916409278/en/

Lark-Marie Antón

Chief Communications Officer

(646) 906-4087

lark@gannett.com

Heather Gidaly

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

(845) 304-3282

hgidaly@gannett.com

Source: USA TODAY

FAQ

What is the starting price for USA TODAY Wine Club collections?

The USA TODAY Wine Club collections start at $89.99 for bi-monthly and quarterly options.

How often are USA TODAY Wine Club (GCI) shipments available?

USA TODAY Wine Club offers bi-monthly and quarterly shipment options for members.

What additional benefits do USA TODAY Wine Club members receive?

Members receive curated wine selections, Southern Kitchen recipe pairings, a unique 'Wine Words' crossword challenge, corkage wine club credits, and discounted access to USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience events.

Who is the procurement and fulfillment partner for the USA TODAY Wine Club?

Studio Beverage Group is the procurement and fulfillment partner for the USA TODAY Wine Club, bringing over 50 years of wine club experience.