South Park Mall´s 2005 MAXI Merit Award

South Park´s efforts to land S. Side bookstore lauded

San Antonio´s own South Park Mall earned applause for marketing excellence during the 34th annual MAXI Awards program, an event sponsored by the New York industry organization the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

The center received a merit award for its "Books for the Barrio" campaign, which succeeded in landing Waldenbooks as a South Park Mall tenant back in 2004. Waldenbooks´ lease was the culmination of a six-year effort to bring a bookstore to South San Antonio.

Recognition for the award went to members of the mall´s marketing and management team. The 863,923-square-foot center is owned and managed by Chicago-based real estate and money-management firm Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

"We were honored for something in which we gave back to the community -- that was an honor in itself," South Park Mall General Manager Cesar Rodriguez says.

South Park was honored in the Business To Business Category, for centers ranging in size from 750,000 to 999,999 square feet. Established in 1972, the MAXI awards recognizes the best in shopping center marketing. This year´s MAXI winners were chosen from a field of 344 entries.

Meanwhile, the effort to bring more bookstores to the South Side continues, Rodriguez says.

"For many years, bookstores didn´t want to come here," he adds. "Now, we have to help this Waldenbooks excel, and bring more bookstores to the South Side."

Waldenbooks´ parent company, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Borders Group Inc. (NYSE: BGP), is a leading global retailer of books, music and movies. The company operates more than 460 Borders superstores and approximately 650 Waldenbooks throughout the United States.