Beyoncé in the centre aisles

R&B superstar Beyoncé will be sashaying into grocery stores in Canada and around the world in early 2013.

The singer has signed an estimated $50-million deal with soft drink company Pepsi that will see her likeness plastered on in-store displays and ads, and even limited-edition soda cans and bottles.

The above image will appear as life-size standees in stores starting in early 2013

The campaign will coincide with Beyoncé’s upcoming return to music. Though her next album has no title or release date, it is expected to drop (and rocket up the billboard charts) in 2013.

The contract with Pepsi, touted as a “true creative and wide-ranging collaboration,” comes with standard obligations. Beyoncé will appear in a new TV ad, for example.

She will also headline the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in February, which is sponsored by the soft drink company.

More surprising is that Pepsi has agreed to fund other creative projects by the 16-time Grammy winner, regardless of whether they have an explicit connection to the brand.

According to an article in the New York Times, Beyoncé and Pepsi are still hashing out the details, but these creative projects could include “live events, videos, ‘a cool photo shoot’ or almost anything else.”

Beyoncé’s certainly pleased. In a statement to the NYT, she wrote “Pepsi embraces creativity and understands that artists evolve. As a businesswoman, this allows me to work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity.”

See a vintage Pepsi ad featuring Beyoncé below.

http://youtu.be/pES8SezkV8w