After 10 years of referring to Kingston’s arena as the Rogers K-Rock Centre, and later Rogers K-Rock Centre, Mayor Bryan Paterson announced on Thursday’s The Morning Show on CKWS that Leon’s Furniture has submitted the highest bid for the centre’s naming rights.
The owner of Leon’s in Kingston, Chris McKercher, says he is looking forward to partnering with the city. McKercher said one of the stipulations for him to sign up for the naming rights was if Leon’s could help community organizations.
“It will give us the ability to use the facility for charities, so that they can use that venue free of charge on our behalf,” he says.
“We’ve been part of this community for 35 years,” McKercher says. “Without our customers we’re nothing, so we’ve done this, not for the advertising part of it, but to be able to give back.”
If approved by city council, by July, the K-Rock Centre will be rebranded as the Leon’s Centre.
Paterson admits that the change might take some getting used to.
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“After 10 years of referring to it as the Rogers K-Rock Centre now we have to do the switch,” the mayor said.
But Paterson said the bid, if voted in by council on May 1, would bring a substantial increase to the city’s budget.
According to Paterson, Rogers was paying close to $200,000 a year for the naming rights of the arena. Leon’s bid started at $257,500 per year, with the promise to increase the price with the consumer price index adjustments beginning in the second year for a five-year period. There is an option to renew after five years.
The total amount paid by Leon’s would be just over $1.3 million at the end of the first five-year period. If the deal goes to year 10, Leon’s would pay just under $300,000 in its final year for the naming rights to Kingston’s arena.
Management of the arena will continue under SMG Canada, and according to a report released by the City of Kingston about the renaming process, SMG has now signed a letter of intent with Leon’s Furniture Limited, represented locally by McKercher Kingston Limited, the local furniture store chapter.
Leon’s parent company has not gotten back for comment.
A decade ago, controversy loomed over the naming of the arena when council voted to brand it without knowing first who they were voting for.
The highest bid came from local radio station K-Rock, owned by John Wright, who paid an average of $190,000 per year — with the final year contribution of $215,000 — for the exclusive naming rights.
When Wright sold the radio station to Rogers, the arena was renamed the Rogers K-Rock Centre.
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