NEWS FROM APSP

Ala Moana Center to Celebrate Milestone 50 Years in Hawai'i on August 13, 2009 [May 2009]
Two-and-a-Half Week Celebration Features Birthday Fun, Fashion Trends and Shopping Deals

Ala Moana Center, one of the world's largest outdoor shopping centers and Hawaii's premier shopping destination, will celebrate its landmark 50th anniversary on Thursday, August 13, 2009. Spanning five decades from the first days of statehood to modern day Hawaii, this milestone marks how Ala Moana Center has served both residents and visitors alike as the Hawaiian Islands' most highly revered gathering place to shop, dine and be entertained.

Ala Moana Center will present a two-and-a-half-week celebration commencing on August 13 to feature a myriad of 50th anniversary themed special events and sales and promotions for customers to participate in and enjoy.

"Ala Moana Center's 50th anniversary will be a one-of-a-kind celebration as we commemorate the milestone of serving Hawaii and the Pacific as a preeminent leader in retail and fashion for five decades," said Sharon James, regional vice president of marketing for General Growth Properties. "Ala Moana Center has grown significantly throughout the years, and we credit the loyalty of our customers, owners, retailers, and employees on achieving the status of being one of the most successful shopping destinations in the U.S."

The Center's 50th anniversary festivities kick off on August 13 with a special birthday celebration at Centerstage featuring a traditional Hawaiian blessing and an honorarium ceremony to congratulate the Center's remaining 11 original businesses and employees who also will be celebrating their 50th anniversary at the Center.

After the ceremony, the celebration extends to the center's 290 retailers with 50th anniversary sales, special offers, gift-with-purchase promotions, in-store events, commemorative 50th anniversary products, and key retailer-presented events taking place in the stores and at Centerstage. These offers and in-store events will span through August 31 with a variety of opportunities for customers to experience Ala Moana Center's outstanding merchants.

Ala Moana's Centerstage has been a key element in Hawaii entertainment and culture for 50 years featuring approximately 20,000 acts over the decades. Over the course of Ala Moana Center's two-and-a-half week anniversary celebration, 50 performances by past performers will take place at Centerstage including local hula hlau, community groups, and mainland and international acts. Most notably, Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning musicians Hoku Zuttermeister, Hookena and Darren Benitez will perform to celebrate the return of top entertainers to Centerstage and highlight Hawaii's favorite music through the decades.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration, Ala Moana Center and Hawaii Fashion Incubator will present "Fifty Years of Fashion in Hawaii," an exhibition featuring garments from the University of Hawaii at Manoa's impressive archived Costume Collection. The exhibition, featuring 50 garments from the past 50 years, will be the largest showcase of the collection ever shown outside of the university. Special feature displays include swimwear, aloha attire, and era-inspired fashion wear. Current fashions inspired by past eras, archived fashion magazines and notable Ala Moana Center advertisements will also be on display.

Local and visiting guests interested bringing home a free collector's keepsake can visit Ala Moana Center's U.S. Post Office from August 13-31 for an exclusive 50th anniversary cancellation stamp. Any mail item can be imprinted with the special cancellation stamp, and Ala Moana's Customer Service Center will offer a commemorative envelope for use with the cancellation stamp. The U.S. Post Office will have a table at Centerstage on August 13, making it extra convenient for shoppers to pick up their Ala Moana Center special first-day issuance cancellation stamp.

When Ala Moana Center originally opened on August 13, 1959, it was the largest shopping center in the U.S., featuring just over 860,000 square feet of retail space and more than 80 merchants. Through the decades, this iconic shopping center has gone though a number of transformations with major renovation and expansion projects that have increased its gross leasable area by almost 2.5 times its original size. After the completion of its sixth major expansion in March 2008, the center now boasts over 2.1 million square feet of retail and more than 290 stores and restaurants. It ranks as the world's largest outdoor shopping center and consistently places among the top three highest grossing malls in the U.S.

For more information on Ala Moana Center's 50th anniversary event and shopping specials, please visit alamoanacenter.com.

About Ala Moana Center
Ala Moana Center is the world's largest outdoor shopping center and Hawaii's premier shopping, entertainment, and dining destination with 290 stores, including nearly 70 dining options. Ala Moana Center features a diverse collection of stores including locally owned boutiques and national retailers. Visit alamoanacenter.com for more information.
Ala Moana Center is owned by General Growth Properties, Inc., one of the largest U.S.-based publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REIT), based upon market capitalization. Best-known for its ownership or management of more than 200 shopping malls in 45 states, General Growth is also a leading developer of master-planned communities and mixed-use properties. It has ownership interest in master-planned communities in Texas, Maryland and Nevada and in smaller mixed-use projects under development in additional locations. Its shopping center portfolio totals approximately 200 million square feet of retail space accommodating more than 24,000 retail stores nationwide. General Growth's international portfolio includes ownership and management interest in shopping centers in Brazil and Turkey. General Growth Properties, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GGP. For more information, please visit the company web site at ggp.com.

Contact Info.:
Jasmine Tso, Marketing & Promotions Director, Ala Moana Center, jasmine.tso@ggp.com, 808-628-5615
Rebecca Pang or Rachel Patrick, Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc., rebecca@strykerweiner.com or rachel@strykerweiner.com, 808-523-8802