GENESEE VALLEY CENTER AND COTTON INCORPORATED PRESENT

BACK-TO-SCHOOL PROMOTION

 

[Flint, MI, July, 31, 2007] – Genesee Valley Center and Cotton Incorporated, the marketing and research company representing upland cotton, have unveiled a Back-to-School cotton promotion which offers shoppers the opportunity to get a $20 gift check good towards their next cotton purchase at the cotton retailer participating in this event.  Store certificates are for American Eagle, The Buckle, The Children’s Place, Express, Hollister, New York & Co and Steve & Barry’s.

Shoppers choosing to take advantage of this promotion simply need to present receipts from cotton merchandise purchases totaling $200 or more to the Genesee Valley Center Customer Service Desk in center court between August 10 and until supplies last and they will be given a $20 gift check. Genesee Valley Center, managed by Jones Lang LaSalle, is among 20 malls throughout the country participating in this promotion.

Says Paula G. Rosario, Cotton Incorporated’s vice president, consumer marketing – strategic alliances, “So many things in our closets are denim – jackets, shirts, bags and skirts – but first and foremost denim is synonymous with jeans. Americans, especially teens, have a true love affair with jeans, and this promotion speaks to them at their favorite place to hang out and shop – the mall.  This Back-to-School promotion will encourage consumers to think about cotton and identify with it more directly.”

Genesee Valley Center is sponsoring two events during this promotion.

PASS IT FORWARD. Starting August 10, teens ages 7 to 17 are invited to pick up a t-shirt packet at the customer information desk or the Genesee District Library.  The object of this promotion is to sign the back of the t-shirt with the supplied ink pen and pass the shirt on to a friend.  After ten (10) email addresses are collected, the t-shirt is returned to Genesee Valley Center.  One hundred participants will win a new t-shirt and one lucky participant will win a $500 gift card to buy COTTON products at Genesee Valley Center.  Releases are also supplied to participate and are required to accompany the packet back to the center.

SHARE YOUR COTTON.  Partnering with the Salvation Army, Genesee Valley Center will provide the opportunity for customers to donate “slightly used jeans” to the Salvation Army.  Customers are invited to bring their clean “slightly used jeans” to the customer service desk August 10 through August 31.  The Salvation Army will be featuring these donations in a special jean sale they are sponsoring at all their Genesee County locations.  Receipts will be provided for tax purposes. 

For more information about the Back-to-School promotions at Genesee Valley Center call the Customer Service Desk at 732-4000 or visit geneseemall.com.

Located in Flint, MI, Genesee Valley Center is a 1.3 million square foot regional shopping center with more than 140 stores including Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears and Barnes & Noble.  Just opening is the new Burlington Coat Factory and Forever 21.  Other stores include The Disney Store, Aeropostale, Rue 21 and many other “COTTON” tenants.

About Jones Lang LaSalle

In the United States, Jones Lang LaSalle Retail is the largest third-party shopping center manager with a 45-million-square-foot portfolio of more than 95 regional malls, grocery-anchored strip centers, power centers, lifestyle centers, ground-up development projects, mixed-use centers and transportation terminals across 31 states and the Caribbean. Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL), the only real estate money management and services firm named to FORTUNE magazines “100 Best Companies to Work For” and Forbes magazines “400 Best Big Companies”, has a portfolio of over 1 billion square feet of property under management worldwide, including more than 280 shopping centers on four continents. For more information on Jones Lang LaSalle Retail, visit www.jllretail.com.

About Cotton Incorporated

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The Consumer Marketing – Strategic Alliances department of Cotton Incorporated develops key partnerships with retailers and executes promotional programs that help influence consumer purchases of cotton products.

# # #