MOVIES RETURNING TO DOWNTOWN IN A BIG WAY WITH PEABODY PLACE ENTERTAINMENT AND RETAIL CENTER

10 Tenants to Open Doors June 15th


MEMPHIS, Tenn., Friday, June 15, 2001 – Continuing its phased opening, a 22-screen movie megaplex and nine additional tenants are set to open their doors June 15, as part of the much anticipated Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center (PPERC). The Center, currently under construction downtown at the corner of Third Street and Peabody Place, is the centerpiece of Belz Enterprises' Peabody Place downtown redevelopment project.

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based Muvico, with its Peabody Place 22 Theater, will redefine the moviegoing experience for Mid-Southerners and tourists alike with the company's unique mix of one-of-a-kind amenities and larger-than-life themed design and architecture.

Indeed, moviegoing in the Mid-South will reach new heights with the largest number of movie screens under one roof in the city, and a large-format theater featuring the largest movie screen in the state and region.

Encompassing more than 100,000 square feet of the Entertainment and Retail Center, Muvico's Peabody Place 22 Theater will feature a turn-of-the-century train station themed design. All 22 auditoriums will include specially designed-for-comfort stadium seating, wall-to-wall curved screens and Dolby digital sound.

The theater also will feature a "Children's Playroom" childcare service and concessions ranging from popcorn shrimp and quesadillas to the more traditional movie fare of popcorn and soda.

In addition to Muvico Peabody Place 22, the Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center will feature a number of eateries and retailers new to Memphis and the Mid-South.

Want to experience an authentic Irish Pub and not have to spring for the airfare to Ireland? Then McGuinness Pub will be the place to visit. The actual pub was built from the ground up in Ireland, and shipped over to Memphis in pieces, where it was installed at the Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center by Irish craftsmen.

At McGuinness Pub, it's all about the "craic" (pronounced crack), a Gaelic word loosely meaning atmosphere. A first of its kind in the Mid-South, everything from the décor, music, food, drink and hospitality at McGuinness Pub has been painstakingly re-created to make patrons feel like they are in a Dublin pub.

Mrs. Field's Bakery Café, a new concept for the company, pairs America's favorite cookies with PretzelMaker and TCBY. The Bakery Café will offer a full complement of fresh-from-the-oven cookies and brownies, fresh hand-rolled pretzels and a full line of frozen yogurt and refreshing smoothies, giving customers the opportunity to relax and indulge in a number of tasty treats.

Fat Tuesday, a specialty bar famous for its frozen daiquiris is another newcomer to Memphis. The bar’s atmosphere is a reflection of the Mardi Gras spirit on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Considered "the crème de la crème" in gift retailing, Dapy will offer consumers a range of sophisticated, cutting edge, high-quality home- oriented gifts for giving as well as receiving.

Another trendy specialty shop new to Memphis is Breaking the Mold. The Colorado-based company manufactures, as well as sells, unique handmade scented candles. Shoppers will be able to choose the perfect luminescent accent for home or office in 60 different fragrances and a wide range of colors and sizes, accompanied by an assortment of designer accessories in metal, glass and ceramics.

For fashion-conscious shoppers, Ann Taylor Loft also will be coming to downtown June 15. Launched in 1996, Ann Taylor Loft stores extend the Ann Taylor brand of refined style and sensibility to women with a more relaxed lifestyle, and at moderate prices.

Appealing to teens are Claire's and Hot Topic. Claire's is the leading mall-based retailer of popular-priced pre-teen and teen accessories, costume jewelry and apparel. Hot Topic also specializes in apparel, accessories, gifts and music for teens. The store's merchandise reflects a variety of music-related lifestyles including streetwear, retro-influenced lounge, punk and club. Ahead of the curve, if it’s happening in music-related fashion, it's happening at Hot Topic.

Also set to be a part of the Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center, Starbucks will bring its popular urban coffeehouse to downtown. The premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in North America offers more than 30 varieties of the world's finest custom-roasted arabica coffee beans, coffee, tea and espresso beverages.

All these great places will be joining Jillian's, which opened in the Center in March. Jillian's, a multi-dimensional food and entertainment retailer, offers a sports video café, dance club, bowling alley, tournament-quality pool tables, and more than 150 electronic simulation games all under one roof.

Other shops and restaurants set to open in the near future include Tower Records, Gap, Gap Kids, Victoria’s Secret, Puccini and Pasta, A & W All American Restaurant and much more.

And with three dedicated parking garages with more than 2,800 parking spaces, covered walkways and special customer parking discounts, PPERC patrons will find parking easy, secure and reasonably priced.

"With movies, music, dining and shopping, Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center is set to be the downtown destination for fun. We want to invite Memphians and Mid-Southerners to 'come downtown and play,’ and keep in mind there are more great things to come," said Andrew J. Groveman, senior vice president, Belz Enterprises, developers of Peabody Place. "As we continue to move forward toward completion of the Entertainment and Retail Center, we're excited to offer everyone a wide range of new, fun and exciting things to do downtown."

The Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center is part of the Belz Enterprises Peabody Place development. When completed, the entire Peabody Place development will contain approximately two million square feet of space, which includes 762 hotel rooms, 201 apartments, 565,000 square feet of office space, 420,000 square feet of retail space, and 3,600 parking spaces. The development is the largest mixed-use urban development currently underway in the United States.

Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., Belz Enterprises is a leading innovator in real estate development with interests throughout the South and across the U.S. Belz develops, owns and manages over 25 million square feet of industrial/warehouse/distribution centers, shopping centers, office buildings, mixed-use centers and corporate campuses. The company also owns a group of premier hotels including the Peabody Hotels in Memphis, Orlando and Little Rock.