Source: sbe

NEW YORK – sbe, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs, today announced a global partnership with Maria Sharapova's Sugarpova confectionery line. The partnership adds to sbe's roster of visionary collaborations with companies across the world.

The tennis star's premium Sugarpova Bars and Truffles will be available for guests staying at hotels across sbe's worldwide portfolio, including locations in the USA, Middle East, and Europe.

Maria Sharapova, Sugarpova Founder,

stated: "I am thrilled to announce Sugarpova's new partnership with sbe - a collaboration of two brands that share a common ground in creating and providing a premium product and luxury experience."

Sam Nazarian, sbe Founder and CEO,

commented: "We are always looking to partner with the best-in-class companies and brands to deliver a one-of-a-kind guest experience. Maria is not only a tennis icon, but an incredible businesswoman who has created unique products. Myself and the sbe team are very proud to bring her distinctive brand to our properties and excited to welcome her global fan base to our locations."

Max Eisenbud, Sugarpova CEO,

commented: "The Sugarpova brand growth has continued to be robust and outpace our expectations with key partnerships and alliances proving to be instrumental in our success. The sbe and Sugarpova partnership is the perfect synergy of two brands coming together with the same mission - to provide a premium product and an extraordinary experience at each and every customer touchpoint. We can't wait to introduce the sbe guest to Sugarpova."

Michele Caniato, Chief Brand Officer at sbe, said: "Here at sbe we're known for our 360-degree approach to lifestyle and our partnerships with some of the most exciting and innovative brands out there are crucial to this. The Sugarpova brand was built by Maria to celebrate moments of fun and indulgence and offering her premium confectionery products to our guests is the next step we're taking to make time spent at our properties exceptional and memorable for our guests."

The partnership will be officially announced at a launch party taking place on July 25th at Cleo in Los Angeles, one of sbe's restaurants brands by Chef Danny Elmaleh.

Sugarpova confectionery will be offered at sbe hotels worldwide from Mondrian in London, to SLS Baha Mar in The Bahamas to Delano in Miami.

All products are non-GMO and certified Kosher.

As a pioneering leader in hospitality, sbe has developed an extensive and appealing partnership program in recent years to bring guests access to a wide range of unique services and products. This partnership is the latest in a series announced this year, which include collaborations with global companies Abercrombie & Fitch, The Lincoln Motor Company, Evian, and LG.

About Sugarpova

Sugarpova continues to have double-digit growth year after year since its launch. Currently, the brand has retail penetration in 22 countries all over the world and is sold in a variety of retail partners and online. The founder is international tennis champion, Maria Sharapova, whose sweet tooth and love for little indulgences motivated her to create a candy company specializing in premium chocolates collection and products, giftables and in gummies and chocolate sweets of quality and craftsmanship. For more information, visit sugarpova.com

About Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova is the winner of five Grand Slam titles and is an Olympic silver medalist. She is just one of a handful of players to hold all four Grand Slam titles - Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008), and Roland Garros (2012, 2014). She has held the World No.1 ranking for 21 weeks and has won 35 singles titles in her career.

Maria made history on numerous occasions when Forbes named her the highest paid female athlete of all time in 2005. She has held that title for a record 11 years.

Raised in Sochi, Sharapova holds a number of firsts for her native Russia. She is the first Russian to become World No.1, is the only one to hold a career Grand Slam, and is the first woman to carry the Russian flag at the Olympics (2012 Summer Olympics in London). Additionally, she acted as an Olympic Correspondent for NBC's coverage of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

As an international icon, Maria garners worldwide press coverage both on and off the court with a dominating social media presence that includes over 15 million Facebook fans, more than 8.5 million Twitter followers and 3.2 million followers on Instagram. She serves as an ambassador to many of the world's top luxury brands and a number of Fortune 500 companies including Porsche, Nike, Evian and HEAD. In 2007, Sharapova became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and has made significant contributions to Chernobyl-related projects in her native country. Her business interests also include serving as an equity partner in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the fastest growing sports organization in the world; Supergoop!, a skincare company dedicated to SPF protection; and as an investor in charly, a Toronto-based social experience platform.

About sbe

Established in 2002 by Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian, sbe is a privately held, leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates world-class hotels, restaurants, lounges and nightclubs. Through exclusive partnerships with cultural visionaries, sbe is devoted to creating extraordinary experiences throughout its proprietary brands with a commitment to authenticity, sophistication, mastery and innovation. Over the last decade, sbe has mastered the art of creating desirable destinations; the lifestyle platform includes over 100 hotels and 150 restaurants and lounges. In 2020, Sam Nazarian shifted his focus to the culinary and nightlife world by launching Disruptive Restaurant Group (DRG.) DRG incubates and operates globally renowned culinary brands, including critically acclaimed restaurants, lounges and nightclubs. By partnering with an impressive roster of internationally renowned culinary talent, DRG concepts are committed to innovation and setting new industry standards. Restaurants and lounges include Casa Dani, by three Michelin-starred Chef Dani Garcia; Citizens; Katsuya, by Chef Katsuya Uechi; Kumi; MXO by Wes Avila; Doheny Room; HYDE; LiFE; and S Bar. Sam Nazarian has consistently demonstrated his ability to anticipate and shape the future of hospitality and gastronomy. With his unwavering passion, entrepreneurial prowess, and a portfolio of iconic brands, Sam has cemented his position as a trailblazer in both the hospitality and culinary world for generations to come. To learn more, visit sbe.com.