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July 9, 2008                                                          Bobbi Passavanti 404.494.3428

Industry-Leading Retailer Offers Popular National Brands and Unique Atlanta Originals

  Atlanta, GA – July 9, 2008 – Award-winning concessionaire – The Paradies Shops – has recently been awarded a new seven-year contract to bring exclusive national brands and locally-inspired retail concepts to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).  Set to transition this fall with 13 dynamic newly constructed stores to follow, The Paradies Shops will offer an entertaining, traveler-friendly experience, ranging from innovative newsstands and internationally-recognized clothiers to a lively retail market to service travelers, airport and airline employees alike.

“The Paradies Shops was founded in Atlanta over 48 years ago, and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to operate world class stores in our hometown at the world’s busiest airport,” said Gregg Paradies, president and CEO.  “With our dedication to first-class service in everything we do, we are committed to improving the travelers’ experience, which is even more important as traveling becomes more challenging.”

The Paradies Shops will introduce ATL travelers to the following new stores:  

Centennial Park Travel Mart

With an expansive selection of products, Centennial Park Travel Mart will celebrate Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta’s outdoor welcoming ground for visitors worldwide during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Bringing home the gold will be a broad assortment of products, including newspapers, magazines, books, convenience items, snacks, flowers, grocery items, and an abundant selection of souvenirs, toys, and accessories.

Drugs & More featuring The AeroClinic

Designed specifically with the neighborhood drugstore in mind, Drugs & More provides a broad assortment of health and beauty products to include over-the-coun­ter medications, personal care, office supplies, greeting cards, publications, bottled water and snacks, as well as a blood pressure machine for a self check and the same competitive pricing as neighborhood drugstores. The AeroClinic is the perfect complement to Drugs & More, offering fast and convenient health screenings, tests, immunizations and more.

The New York Times Books & News

The New York Times Books & News store is the quintessential destination at ATL for books and convenience items; a book and news reader’s sanctuary amid the hustle and bustle of a busy transportation hub. This Paradies exclusive concept not only  features the #1 name in books, but also the popular Read & Return Program— another Paradies airport exclusive. Customers have come to love the Read & Return Program, through which they can buy a book, read it, return it, and receive 50 percent of their money back.

Brighton Collectibles

Offered to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport exclusively by The Paradies Shops, Brighton Collectibles will present an eclectic space with a stunning collection of small leathers, watches, fragrances, jewelry, accessories, belts, and eyewear for women. 

Brooks Brothers

Symbolizing trust and confidence, Brooks Brothers features the “best of the best” in men’s and ladies merchandise in an intimate and comfortable set­ting, speaking to quality and timeless sophistication.  As the exclusive Brooks Brothers airport operator, The Paradies Shops will deliver another award-winning design to ATL.

Georgia Aquarium

The Paradies Shops is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to merge air and sea by bringing the Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium, into the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The store will carry the best of the best of the Aquarium’s official gifts and souvenirs—delivering a fun, exciting and educational shopping experience with massive appeal for both children and adults.

Vera Bradley

Appealing to women of every age who look forward to lovely fabrics and styles, Vera Bradley is testimony to the American Dream – a company founded by two women in 1982 who were awaiting a flight in Atlanta and noticed a definite lack of feminine-looking luggage.  A brand inspired for women by women, this beautifully designed store will offer women travelers, airport employees, and airline staff an exclusive line of signature gifts and other merchandise.

CNBC News Atlanta

As the globally recognized leader in business news, CNBC News Atlanta will bring the ATL travelers “today’s news today.”  This trusted name in news will capture the attention of the traveling public with two locations on Concourse A, offer­ing a clean and crisp alternative to traditional newsstands. In addition to offering an online station for customers to check their stock portfolios, CNBC News Atlanta offers customers a recharge station to charge up their laptops and handhelds.

Newsbeat Atlanta

Newsbeat Atlanta will be a global newsstand inspired by the international news center that is Atlanta—a space calling out to information-hungry travelers shopping for newspapers, magazines, and books. And speaking of hungry, the site will also deliver a generous selection of snacks and beverages, including a delectable selection of gourmet food.  This high-energy retail space will be a winning combination of class, convenience and value.

Atlanta.net

Atlanta jumps to life in The Paradies Shops’ most exciting new concept to date—the Atlanta.net store—a concept baring deep southern roots, international sophistication, and celebrating everything Atlanta, including a constantly evolving selection of high-quality gifts and souvenirs from Atlanta’s world class entertainment, cultural, sports and educational institutions. Atlanta.net will also feature Explore Atlanta, Brand Atlanta’s virtual concierge kiosk providing customers the latest in touch-screen technology for tapping into information, images and streaming video of local places to visit, to make reservations at restaurants, purchase event tickets and much more.

LACOSTE

Headquartered in Paris and recognized by its green crocodile logo, LACOSTE offers a thriving, globally recognized collection of apparel and other merchandise for men, women and children. Featured at ATL will be LACOSTE’s active sports and casual sports wear, and the more sophisticated Club line, as well as cologne/perfume, footwear, watches and leather goods.

Techshowcase

From BlackBerrys to Bluetooth, cell phone to iPods, laptops to PDA accessories, smartphones to toys, and just about everything in between, Techshowcase offers the latest devices, gadgets and entertainment-related products on the market today.  Part of the award-winning Airport Wireless family of brands, and the #1 electronics store in airports today, Techshowcase helps travelers stay connected, productive or entertained while on the road.