Press Release | Discover Financial Services Signs Partnership Deal with Mills Corporation |
Riverwoods, Illinois, December 17, 1999…Discover
Financial Services, a business unit of Morgan
Stanley Dean Witter & Co. (NYSE:MWD), today
announced an agreement with Mills Corporation
that makes Discover® Card the preferred credit
card at nine of Mills' retail and entertainment
destinations across the country.
As part of the agreement, Discover Card will conduct
promotions, display signage, run advertising
on Mills TV and establish a joint website presence
with The Mills. In addition, Mills' consumers
will have the opportunity to receive a Discover
exclusive coupon book by simply presenting their
Discover card at the information booth. The book
will offer exclusive values for Discover cardmembers
and include discounts with merchants such as Samsonite,
Wilsons Leather, Burlington Coat Factory, Mikasa
Factory Store, Nine West Outlet, Off Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, OshKosh B'Gosh, Urban
Planet, and Vans.
Participating
Mills shopping malls include:
Potomac
Mills - Prince William, Va. (Washington, D.C.)
Franklin Mills - Philadelphia, Pa.
Sawgrass Mills - Sunrise, Fla. (Ft.Lauderdale/Miami)
Gurnee Mills - Gurnee, Ill. (Chicago)
Ontario Mills - Ontario, Calif. (Los Angeles)
Arizona Mills - Phoenix, Ariz.
The Block at Orange - Orange, Calif.
Concord Mills - Concord, N.C. (Charlotte)
Katy Mills - Katy, Texas (Houston)
Mills' customers will also
benefit from quarterly promotions that will run
in conjunction with Discover Card's national
marketing campaigns. A recent opportunity was
the Cashback Bonus Countdown Tour, which took
place at various malls this fall. During the
Cashback Bonus Countdown Tour events, a photo
of each shopper was taken in front of a replica
of Times Square featuring Discover Card's electronic
billboard. These photos will be broadcast on
the Discover Card Times Square sign during the
weeks leading up to New Year's Eve. Discover Card's
Cashback Bonus Countdown Tour was held in conjunction
with Discover Card's Cashback Bonus® Countdown
Sweepstakes, in which Discover Card will award
$1 million to one lucky winner at the Times Square
New Year's Eve celebration.
"Discover Card
is looking forward to working with Mills Corporation
to help increase brand awareness and usage among
Cardmembers," said Cathy Davis, vice president,
advertising and brand management, Discover Financial
Services, Inc. "This partnership will result
in a more rewarding shopping experience for our
Cardmembers and consumer savings at some of the
nation's biggest retail and entertainment properties."
Tony Wells, Vice President, Partnership
Marketing and Sales for The Mills Corporation
adds, "Our partnership with Discover Financial
Services will provide consumers with unique merchant
value offerings maximizing the positioning of
both The Mills' and Discover brands. With over
130 million visitors each year, The Mills provides
a competitive edge for Discover to gain a greater
share of wallet. Mills marketing opportunities
are unmatched in the industry."
Discover
Financial Services, a business unit of Morgan
Stanley Dean Witter & Co., operates the Discover
Card brands with more than 50 million Cardmembers
and the Discover Business Services network. Discover
Business Services is the largest independent credit
card network in the United States with more than
3.6 million merchant and cash access locations.
The
Mills Corporation (NYSE: MLS)
is a self-managed real estate investment trust
(REIT) based in Arlington, Va., that owns, develops,
leases, manages and markets a portfolio of ten
market dominant retail and entertainment destinations
(nine Mills and one Block), and 11 community shopping
centers.Combined, Mills' projects total approximately
16.8 million square feet in 13states. Mills will
celebrate the grand opening of its newest project,
OpryMills, in Nashville, TN on May 11, 2000.
Currently, the company has sixprojects under construction
and/or development in the United States and one
inToronto, Canada. The company's Internet address
is http://www.millscorp.com.
CONTACT:
Catherine
R. Edwards
Discover Financial Services, Inc.
P:
224/405-2008
catherineredwards@discoverfinancial.com |
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