The Mills Corp. in Arlington, VA signed a marketing and promotional partnership with America Online making AOL the exclusive Internet partner for Mills’ properties, including seven super-regional retail and entertainment-oriented shopping malls.
Under this arrangement, AOL will provide sponsorship and promotion of mall
events and distribute AOL materials at various Mills’ mall locations. Also,
Mills and AOL are exploring online retail and promotion opportunities to serve Mills’ customers.
More than 140 million people are expected to visit the Mills’ properties in
1998, the company said. The arrangement will also extend to online cross
promotion with The Mills Corp.’s Web site and AOL.
Financial arrangements were not disclosed.
Eddie Leonard, vice president of brand marketing for AOL, said: “Mills’ malls
attract millions of loyal customers each year. Our goal is to have AOL be a
brand name that Mills’ shoppers not only recognize, but also integrate into
their daily lives.”
Mills is a self-managed real estate investment trust that owns, develops,
leases, manages, and markets a portfolio of seven super-regional value- and entertainment-oriented mega-malls, one super-regional conventional mall, and 11 community shopping centers around the country.