FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kim Mathews or Heather LaBrecque
WestShore Plaza - 813-286-0792

WESTSHORE PLAZA ANNOUNCES THREE NEW LUXURY ACCESSORY OPTIONS FOR SHOPPERS

El Portal to open new store this spring; Saks Fifth Avenue to open Gucci & Prada boutiques this month.
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TAMPA, Fla. (March 11, 2002) - WestShore Plaza management announced today that El Portal will open a new 3,000-square-foot store at WestShore Plaza this spring. The WestShore Plaza location will be El Portal's second Florida location, offering a variety of brand-name fashion handbags, travel and business accessories.

"We're extremely pleased that El Portal will join WestShore's existing line-up of merchants," said Kimberly Mathews, marketing director for WestShore Plaza. "El Portal's offerings will complement and strengthen the merchandise mix currently offered by Plaza retailers."

Additionally, Saks Fifth Avenue at WestShore Plaza will open two new, in-store boutiques later this month. The 200-square-foot boutiques will offer expanded lines of handbags, belts and small leather goods from Prada and Gucci. Saks remains the exclusive Gucci retailer in the Tampa Bay area.

According to Kathy Werner, general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue, "The Gucci and Prada designer collections have been tremendously successful with our customers since we opened in 1998." "Through the years, we've learned from our interactions with both Gucci and Prada that demand for designer goods in this market continues to grow. We think our customers will be pleased with our expanded offerings."

El Portal's WestShore Plaza store will carry a variety of brand name accessories by Coach, Dooney & Bourke, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Brighton, Tumi, Tommy Bahama, Hartmann, Mulholland Brothers, Swiss Army, Zero Halliburton, Ghurka, Mont Blanc, Porsche, Fisher, and El Portal. The store will be located in the Burdines-Saks Fifth Avenue wing, opposite Banana Republic and adjacent to Brookstone. Founded in 1936, the El Portal brand is owned by Wilson's Leather Group of Minneapolis.

Featuring Saks Fifth Avenue, Burdine's, JCPenney and a 14-screen AMC theatre, as well as Tampa Bay's only Maggiano's and Palm restaurants, WestShore Plaza celebrates more than three decades of serving the Tampa Bay community. WestShore Plaza is located at the intersection of Westshore and Kennedy boulevards in Tampa, just one mile south of the Tampa International Airport. For more information, call 813/286-0790 or visit www.westshoreplaza.com. WestShore Plaza is owned by American Freeholds and managed by General Growth Properties Inc., the nation's second largest owner, manager and developer of regional shopping malls. For more information on General Growth Properties, visit the company website at www.generalgrowth.com.

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