LOS ANGELES, CA – September 26, 2007 – The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has partnered with travel retailer Hudson Group, best known for its national newsstand brand Hudson News, among other retail brands, to develop Hollywood, a trendy new specialty store devoted to all things Hollywood. The store is scheduled to "premier" next week in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Global Icons, the Chamber’s exclusive licensing agency, negotiated the deal.
"As a company, Hudson Group is committed to helping LAX to revitalize and realize its potential as a world-class shopping experience," said Joseph DiDomizio, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Hudson Group. "Powered by Hudson’s exacting standards for store design and top quality merchandise, we expect Hollywood to become a great favorite with locals as well as visitors to LA. It will add significantly to the luster that Hudson has already brought to the airport with our dazzling new Hudson News newsstands and other exciting retail concepts, like Life is good and Kids Works."
Hollywood has been created to reflect the legendary reputation of Tinsel-town, and prominently features the famous Hollywood sign and Hollywood Walk of Fame star logos. Travelers will have the chance to take home their own little piece of Hollywood with special movie memorabilia and other branded merchandise. With 900 square feet of prime retail space, the dramatically appointed Hollywood store will offer airport travelers a unique shopping experience, along with authentic, high quality merchandise. The product mix includes men’s and women’s apparel & accessories, gift & collectibles, house wares & home furnishings, as well as theatrical DVDs. Shoppers will be immersed in a world of entertainment through multiple monitors playing both classic and contemporary movie releases on plasma screens throughout the store.
The grand opening of the Hollywood store in LAX is scheduled for Sept. 18. The team would like nothing better than to expand the concept with additional spaces in LAX and other Southern California airports at some time in the future.
"The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is delighted to be able to seal a relationship with Hudson Group, a company with an outstanding reputation for airport service across the country," said Leron Gubler, Chamber president & CEO. "This partnership represents a new opportunity for the Chamber to expand the reach of the Hollywood brand into a new channel for us – the airport retailing environment."
"Hollywood continues to draw massive audiences around the world with its glamour and star-studded features," noted Jeff Lotman, CEO of Global Icons. "The creation of the Hollywood shop is a natural fit for the TBIT terminal, whose international travelers will have a particular interest in stocking up on Hollywood gifts and souvenirs. It is the perfect retail destination for tourists who want to return home with great memories of their visit to LA and, of course, to glamorous Hollywood, USA."
About Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (www.hollywoodchamber.net)
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation exists to support and advance the educational, cultural and economic interests of the Hollywood community by developing leadership with a dynamic and innovative vision of the future; linking business in partnerships with educational, governmental and non-profit organizations; and serving as a vehicle for research, planning and community education to anticipate and communicate challenges of the future.
For more than 87 years, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has provided leadership, business development resources, networking, and government affairs programs and services to keep the Hollywood business and residential communities safe, relevant and economically vital. Jeff Briggs of Briggs Law Office in Hollywood is the Chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation. Leron Gubler is President and CEO.
About Hudson Group (www.hudsongroup.com)
Hudson Group is a privately held corporation that operates more than 500 newsstands, bookstores, cafes and premier specialty retail shops in 69 airports and transportation terminals throughout North America. The company’s flagship concept, Hudson News, is North America’s only national newsstand brand. Under the familiar blue sign can be found the most complete selection of magazines in the aviation industry, along with newspapers and a wide variety of travelers’ necessities, snacks and bottled soft drinks. Hudson Group specialty retail shops include such proprietary brands as Hudson Booksellers, Kids Works and Euro Café. National brands partnering with Hudson Group include Life is good, Discovery Channel, Crabtree & Evelyn, Godiva Chocolatier, Sunglass Hut, Roots, House of Blues and Quiznos.
About Global Icons (www.globalicons.com)
Global Icons is the premier licensing and brand merchandising agency specializing in the development and extension of corporate brands and trademarks. On behalf of its ever-expanding roster of clients, the company's goal is to increase brand awareness and revenue through the establishment of new products, distribution channels and revenue streams. Select clients include American Honda Motor, American Racing, Breathe Right, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Chevron, Chuck E Cheese's, Cold Stone Creamery, Cutex, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Gulf, Hershey's, Hollywood, Humvee, Igloo, Tonino Lamborghini, Make-A-Wish, Miso Pretty, Spic and Span, Texaco, and UPS, among others.