Vans Skatepark to Bring Ultimate Skateboarding Experience to Phoenix in November; Vans' Tenth Skatepark to Open November 8 at Metrocenter Mall.

Business Editors & Consumer/Lifestyle Writers

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2001

Vans Inc. (Nasdaq:VANS), the leading worldwide brand for Core Sports(TM), today announced that it will open its tenth skatepark at the Metrocenter Mall, only minutes from downtown Phoenix.

The 37,000-square foot skatepark will open its doors to the public on November 8. At the grand opening, several of Vans' top professional riders will be on hand to meet fans for autographs and photo opportunities.

"The Metrocenter is the perfect location for the newest Vans Skatepark. We expect to be a destination for skate enthusiasts throughout the Phoenix area," commented Neal Lyons, Vans' president of retail. "Riders will appreciate the attention to detail that we've put into course design and we hope that they will find the Phoenix Vans Skatepark the perfect place to skate and hang out with friends."

Several professional skaters served as consultants to help create a skatepark specifically-tailored to the needs of riders of all skill levels and to cater to the tastes of Phoenix riders. The Vans Skatepark's varied riding areas and obstacles range from popular skatepark staples to innovative and unique additions to challenge a variety of rider styles and skill levels:

-- "The Mask" -- a wooden bowl with real swimming pool tiles and coping

-- Wood street course designed for beginner to advanced skaters featuring ramps
surfaced in Finland Birch

-- 40-foot competition-size vert ramp and 4-foot mini-vert ramp

-- Lounge Area including:

-- Full line retail store and pro shop

-- Kiosks with Internet connection to Vans site

-- Television broadcasting Vans Triple Crown(TM) Series footage

-- Sports wall dedicated to Vans Triple Crown(TM) Series events

-- Arcade and vending machines

-- Party room

The Vans Skatepark's design and construction is a collaborative effort between Vans, Percy Cheng of Perkowitz & Ruth Architects, Rick Carje of RCMC, G.R. Walton General Contractors Inc., Dave Duncan of Dave Duncan Designs and Jack Murphy of Murphy Productions.

Allowing riders to escape the Phoenix heat, the air-conditioned skatepark will be situated on the upper level of the mall, a first for a Vans Skatepark. Metrocenter, operated by Simon Property Group, is a super regional shopping mall in Phoenix located just west of I-17, a major interstate, which has over 200,000 vehicles passing by daily. The center has close to 1.4 million square feet of retail space including 175 specialty shops and a state-of-the-art Harkins Theatre. The mall sits in the center of the Washington Elementary School District and Glendale Union High School District comprised of over 40 schools and over 35,000 families. Annual shopper visits to Metrocenter exceeds 9,700,000, which ranks the center in the top 30 Simon properties.

"By adding this new venue to Metrocenter, we provide our shoppers with a win-win situation, someplace parents can feel comfortable dropping their kids while they shop," said Jo-Ann Sears, marketing director, Metrocenter Mall. "The opening of the skatepark supports our pledge to provide a safe environment for all families to make shopping more enjoyable."

Metrocenter is anchored by five fashionable department stores: Dillard's, Macy's, Robinsons-May, Sears and JC Penney, and has some of the trendiest and unique stores in the Phoenix valley such as Guess, Forever 21, Old Navy, Industrial Ride Shop, California Daze, K-MOMO, Underground Station, GAP, Hot Topic, Franklin Covey and Yankee Candle.

Vans has also developed several programs to reach out to the community and encourage kids to participate in safe after-school activities, such as skate clinics. Vans encourages local schools to get involved in the after-school activity crusade by offering discounted session prices with school club memberships. Vans also rewards scholastic achievement by offering $1 off session prices for every "A" on a report card.

Session times are divided into two-hour blocks between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Skaters will pay between $11 and $14 a session, and may purchase a one-year membership for $50 that allows them to skate at a discounted session price, between $7 to $9, depending on the time of day.

Vans currently operates nine Skateparks located in Orange, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Ontario, CA, Woodbridge, VA, Milpitas, CA, Houston, TX, Moorestown, NJ (outside Philadelphia), Westminster, CO (outside of Denver) and Buford, GA (outside Atlanta). Each facility is unique in size, layout and design of the parks' skateable features and pools. The Vans Skatepark in Ontario, CA also includes an indoor BMX street course and an outdoor dirt jumping area. In addition to the Phoenix location, additional Vans Skateparks are scheduled to open in Detroit, MI, and Orlando, FL.

Simon Property Group Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust which, through its subsidiary partnerships, is engaged in the ownership, development, management, leasing, acquisition and expansion of income-producing properties, primarily regional malls and community shopping centers. It currently owns or has an interest in 250 properties containing an aggregate of 184 million square feet of gross leasable area in 36 states and five assets in Europe. Together with its affiliated management company, Simon owns or manages approximately 190 million square feet of gross leasable area in retail and mixed-use properties. Shares of Simon Property Group Inc. are paired with beneficial interests in shares of stock of SPG Realty Consultants Inc. Additional Simon Property Group information is available at www.shopsimon.com.

Vans (Nasdaq:VANS) is a leading worldwide brand for Core Sports(TM) specializing in performance and lifestyle footwear, apparel, snowboard boots and bindings. Its contributions to Core Sports include the Vans Triple Crown(TM) Series, the operation of nine large-scale Vans Skateparks, the High Cascade Snowboard Camp(TM) and continued sponsorship of the Vans Warped Tour(R) and the Vans World Amateur Skateboarding Championships(TM). Vans collections are sold in the United States through 148 company owned stores and factory outlets as well as a network of independent retailers. Vans also distributes to more than 50 countries internationally through distributors, sales agents and its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

For more information on Vans and retail stores/skateparks, visit www.vans.com.