Considerations
- Work with the shopping center when announcing an opening.
- Save press releases for announcements that:
- reflect milestones
- could impact regional shoppers
- call attention to a specific industry
- benchmark in the region, a restaurant expansion, for example
- Use the inverted pyramid: Most newsworthy details in the first few paragraphs; followed by important detail that speaks to the lead information, then the supporting content.
- Typically, a news release is embedded in the email and is lead with a quick pitch to the media or blogger.
Sample Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Eric Davidson
EricDavidson@RegencyCenters.com
904 598 7829
MELLODY FARM SERVES UP LOCALLY OWNED AND POPULAR RESTAURANT, BUTTERMILK CAFÉ, TO VERNON HILLS
VERNON HILLS, IL. (April 4, 2019) — Mellody Farm, one of the region’s largest ground-up retail center developments, adds Buttermilk Café to its roster of locally owned concepts. The breakfast and brunch restaurant will open its third location at the 270,000-square-foot experiential center in Vernon Hills in fall 2019. With locations also in Naperville and Geneva, Buttermilk Café’s Mellody Farm location will be approximately 4,100 square feet with 174 seats.
“The architecture that includes elements from Chicagoland’s history and designated space for community events beckons a charming Main Street feel, which is why Mellody Farm fits hand in glove with how we cater to our clientele,” said Katie Kouvelis, co-owner of Buttermilk Café, who runs the business with her husband, Spiro. “The modern farmhouse feel, the Southern-influenced menu and our team, who are like family, all shape the Buttermilk Café experience that has become part of a weekly ritual for so many who support us in the Chicagoland area.”
Mellody Farm represents the next wave of brick-and-mortar retail, focusing on attracting shoppers who place a high value on experiences, collaboration with the community and consideration of independently owned businesses that are looking to grow.
The center’s architectural design includes several aesthetic and historical features such as 24 artistic handcrafted benches, barn doors repurposed with reclaimed wood from Chicago’s Division Street Bridge and an entire building wrapped in bricks that once made up the streets of Hinsdale, Illinois.
In 2018, Mellody Farm was one of the Midwest’s largest ground-up retail center openings, adding to Regency Centers’ Upper Midwest portfolio of 30 centers totaling 4.4 million square feet. Anchor merchants at Mellody Farm include Whole Foods Market, REI, Nordstrom Rack, and HomeGoods. In fall 2018, anchor Barnes & Noble unveiled its new format at the property that includes 700 square feet of bookshelves on wheels to accommodate weekly community events. Mellody Farm will eventually lease to 50 merchants and offer 260 executive apartments.
