Hudson Group To Develop O'Hare Newsstands With Distinct Chicago Flair

East Rutherford, NJ - April 12, 2007 - The City of Chicago has approved the award of a retail concessions contract in Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to a joint venture partnership that includes Hudson Group. The award is a seven-year contract to create 25 impressive newsstands throughout the terminals, branded as Hudson News or co-branded as Hudson News/CNN Newsstand Chicago.

The joint venture, Hudson News-O'Hare JV, is composed of Hudson Group and three local operators: BTII, Inc.; Corliss Stone-Littles, LLC; and Robinson Hill Group, Inc. All three have extensive experience in retail and franchise management in and around Chicago.

According to Joseph DiDomizio, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Hudson Group: “Hudson has been proud to be part of the O'Hare concessions program since acquiring the current news/gift operations from WHSmith in late 2003. Our diligent work at customer service and daily operations has resulted in a 41% increase in sales over that time. But that is just the tip of the opportunity ahead of us.

"With the experience and creativity of our partners and the build-out of new, state-of-the-art stores, laid out to maximize every inch of precious retailing space available, we believe we can significantly improve that record. And as sales dramatically increase, we expect to transform the travel shopping experience, while greatly enhancing customer satisfaction."

The 25-store program was conceived as a "Gateway to Chicago." For Hudson News, five custom-designed newsstand styles strongly evoke different aspects of the beauty and history of the City of Chicago. Concepts like Lakes/Parks, Culture/Museum, Entertainment, Neighborhoods, and Architecture capture distinctive areas of the city, including Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, Museum Campus, Gold Coast, Old Town, Millennium Park, and the downtown skyline. The sixth newsstand style, CNN Newsstand-Chicago, pairs CNN, the most trusted name in news, with nationally branded Hudson News to provide travelers with convenience plus live news feeds on plasma screen TVs throughout the stores, in a space designed to emulate a TV newsroom.

Construction will be phased in to ensure uninterrupted service throughout the airport.