Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops Celebrates 10th Anniversary at PHL

PHILADELPHIA, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of the country's premiere airport food and retail programs, the Philadelphia Marketplace has now enjoyed a decade of serving passengers at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). This June, the Philadelphia Marketplace will celebrate its past and look forward to the future with special events, contests, giveaways and more.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080527/NETU051 )

Anniversary Happenings

The Philadelphia Marketplace's merchants will be honored during a cocktail reception on Wednesday, June 4 at the Airport Marriott. Special recognition will be given to those merchants who have been with the Food & Shops family for the past ten years.

"Our merchants have been the key to our success over the past decade," said Anna DiGregorio, Director of Marketing for the Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops. "They work hard every day to make each passenger's experience at PHL a great one. In fact, our airport was ranked number one in customer satisfaction among large airports by J.D. Power and Associates."

Airport travelers will enjoy a Fashion Show on Friday, June 6 at 2 p.m. in the B/C Connector with food and giveaways to celebrate ten years of the food and shops program. The highlight of the event will be the "runway" fashion show featuring the latest in clothing, accessories and luggage from Philadelphia Marketplace retailers. Passengers in attendance will receive a limited-edition 10th Anniversary tote bag made of recycled materials, perfect for a carry-on or shopping bag (while supplies last).

Throughout the month of June, merchants will offer special discounts in honor of the Philadelphia Marketplace's 10th anniversary. And, one lucky passenger will win a $1,000 shopping spree at the Philadelphia Marketplace by entering online at http://www.philamarketplace.com (Contest runs June 1-30; no purchase necessary).

A Look Back

The Philadelphia Marketplace success story starts in the 1990s, when the City of Philadelphia decided to upgrade its shopping and dining offerings in conjunction with the remodel and expansion of terminals B and C. PHL partnered with MarketPlace Redwood L.P. to manage the airport's food and shops program, and the Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops opened June 4, 1998 with 19 retailers in the new B/C Connector, making a total of 67 merchants throughout the airport.

Ten years later, those 67 stores became more than 160 shops, restaurants and services, and over the past decade, MarketPlace Redwood has redeveloped the 135,000 square-foot retail space that today spans the airport's seven terminals. In 2001, the new regional terminal F opened with 10,000 square feet of stores and eateries. The retail development of International Terminal A West was completed in 2003, offering passengers 21,000 additional square feet of food and shops.

The Philadelphia Marketplace is focused on maintaining a line-up of national favorites while also showcasing local retailers and restaurants, giving passengers a uniquely Philadelphia experience.

"MarketPlace Redwood has done a superb job in making Philadelphia International one of the best airports in the country for shopping, eating, and finding passenger-friendly amenities," said Charles Isdell, the City's Acting Director of Aviation. "We congratulate MarketPlace on its successes in the past 10 years and its contributions in making PHL one of America's best airports."

New in 2008

Adding to the diverse food and retail mix at PHL this year are several new locations:

Coming soon, Dunkin' Donuts will open a full-service restaurant in Concourse D, joining the company's beverage kiosk that opened last summer at the top of Concourse B.

Vino Volo, which opened May 22, is an upscale lounge, restaurant and tasting bar, offering passengers a relaxing place to pass time between flights with a glass of red or white.

Philly favorite Chickie's & Pete's will serve up its famous crab fries and other specialties at new restaurant in International Terminal A West. The first airport Chickie's & Pete's debuted in Concourse E last December, and a second location opened this February in Concourse C.

Guava & Java, an innovative food and drink concept created and designed exclusively for airports, will open two locations, one in Concourse AE and a second in Concourse E, later this year. Guava & Java will serve hot paninis, freshly made sandwiches, smoothies, and assortment of blended coffees and beverages.

Au Bon Pain, a current airport favorite among passengers and employees, will open their third location in Terminal F, later this year. Au Bon Pain is best known for their authentic artisan breads, scrumptious pastries and inspired menu filled with savory sandwiches, soups, salads and entrees.

AeroClinic was formed with a vision of bringing convenient, customer-friendly healthcare services to the largest consumer venue in the world -- airports. AeroClinic's model of quality well-care and minor ill-care will bring a vital service to the thousands of airline and airport employees each day -- along with millions of travelers passing PHL daily. AeroClinic will open later this year in the AB Link.

At Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen, authentic baked pizza, homemade pasta, stuffed strombolis, specialty salads and freshly made Italian entrees come from old-world recipes from Naples, Italy. Currently located in Concourse AE, Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen will be adding a second location in Concourse B later this year.

A Look Ahead

Another planned expansion to the Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops will occur in November 2008 with the opening of the D/E Connector. This will add 15,000 square feet of retail space to the airport with a variety of new shops and restaurants, to be announced later this year.

"Passengers will have even more shopping and dining choices when the D/E expansion opens for business," said Clarence LeJeune, Vice President and General Manager for the Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops. "This is a great opportunity for us to introduce new retail concepts and continue to exceed our passengers' expectations."

ABOUT MARKETPLACE REDWOOD L.P.

MarketPlace Redwood, L.P. is the private partner with the City of Philadelphia in the development and management of the food and retail program throughout Philadelphia International Airport. The award-winning food and retail program consists of stores and eateries throughout Terminals A-West through F. The airport features more than 125 in-line stores, restaurants and services, plus an average of 30-40 specialty retail units. MarketPlace Redwood, L.P. is a partnership of MarketPlace Development, a Boston-based retail development firm that partners with airports and airlines, and Redwood Airport Management which is a subsidiary of Redwood Advisory, a Philadelphia-based retail development, management and consulting firm. For more information, visit http://www.philamarketplace.com.

    Congratulations to the following merchants who have been a part of the
    Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops since it opened on June 4, 1998:

    -- Airport Wireless
    -- Asian Chao
    -- Auntie Anne's Pretzels
    -- Barbara Bestsellers
    -- Brookstone
    -- Burger King
    -- Delilah's En Flight
    -- Destination PHL
    -- Eat at Joe's
    -- Famous King of Pizza
    -- Fire & Ice
    -- GAP Women
    -- Jet Rock Bar & Grill
    -- Johnston & Murphy
    -- Lids
    -- Magic Shoe Shine
    -- Old Philadelphia Tavern
    -- Pennsylvania Market
    -- PGA Tour Shop
    -- Philly Bends & Twists
    -- Philly Pretzels
    -- Philly Steak & Gyro
    -- PIA Services
    -- PNC Bank
    -- Prestige Signatures
    -- Saladworks
    -- Sbarro
    -- Sunglass Hut
    -- TGI Friday's
    -- Time To Fly
    -- Wilsons Leather
    -- Yummy Pretzels



                    Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops
                           Merchant Success Stories

    Prestige Signatures

Prestige Signatures, which offers watches, leather goods and fine writing instruments, began serving PHL customers in 1996 and was the first-ever merchandise cart at the airport. Founded by area resident Shereen Zakkouc with a kiosk at Philadelphia's Franklin Mills Mall, Prestige Signatures jumped on the opportunity to open at PHL when the airport's specialty retail program first started.

Zakkouc's husband, Maz, who currently operates the PHL location, says part of the company's success is because of the "family-like" atmosphere between the merchants and management. After a serious car accident in the 1990s, the family was having difficulty keeping the business afloat and nearly had to shut down their kiosk. Marketplace Redwood stepped in, offering to let them operate for a month paying a percent of sales only and by moving the kiosk to a more high-traffic location.

With business thriving again, Prestige Signatures moved from their cart to a store in F Terminal in 2000. The store is now located in the B/C connector, the airport's main retail hub. Prestige Signatures expanded to Newark and Miami airports in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and plans to add more locations in the future.

Airport Wireless

While flying out of PHL one day, Iris Goldschmidt noticed that new, mall-style stores were under construction, and realized the potential for an airport location of her Bryn Mawr, Pa. cell phone store. Soon after, she approached the airport's cart program and in 1997 Airport Wireless(R) began selling wireless phones and accessories from a merchandise cart in Terminal B.

Her cart grew to a successful store at PHL just a year later, and soon Airport Wireless(R) locations were opened in Cleveland Hopkins International and Newark Liberty International Airports. In 2003, Goldschmidt signed an exclusive agreement to operate Palm's airport locations. There are currently 28 Airport Wireless(R) and Airport Wireless Palm stores in airports across the country, with plans in the works for a new project, "Tech Showcase," a mini tech trade show of sorts.

Goldschmidt attributes her ongoing success to the cart program at Philadelphia International Airport in an article in trade magazine Specialty Retail Report: "It's because of that whole program that I am where I am today. I think if anyone can avail themselves of taking an opportunity to present a new idea or concept, [a cart] is the way to test it."

OTG Management, Inc.

OTG Management, Inc., which operates airport restaurants, started in 1996 with one location in PHL, the Jet Rock Bar & Grill. The success of Jet Rock's first location in Terminal B led to its replication in other terminals, and then an opportunity to open a Jet Rock location at New York's LaGuardia International Airport. Several new restaurant concepts were then added to OTG's repertoire, and they currently operate restaurants and quick service takeout at seven airports including PHL, LaGuardia, JFK, Boston Logan, Tucson, Washington/Ronald Reagan and Dulles.

Offering upscale food concepts with high levels of design that rival popular city restaurants has resulted in an extremely successful chain of airport locations. A high regard for customer satisfaction, remaining open late during delays and the philosophy of "serving food in an airport, not airport food" have also contributed to OTG's continued success.

     CONTACT:  Kristin Larson
               For MarketPlace Redwood
               610-768-3704
               kristinl@jackhorner.com

               Anna DiGregorio
               MarketPlace Redwood
               215-937-1200
               adigregorio@philamarketplace.com