Vans, Inc. announced it has signed a lease to open an additional, 50,000 square foot skate park in Orlando, Florida. The park, which will be co-developed with the Belz Corporation is scheduled to open in spring 2000, it will be located at the Festival Bay Shopping Center, near such major attractions as Walt Disney World and the MGM Studios Theme Park. Vans previously announced the opening of its first skate park at The Block in Orange, California, and the execution of letters of intent to develop three other parks with the Mills Corporation in Ontario, California, Prince William, Virginia and Toronto.
Gary H. Schoenfeld, Vans' President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "We are pleased to announce an agreement to open what will be our fifth skate park. We are confident Orlando will be an ideal site for us due to its worldwide status as a major tourist attraction and destination. Every day we receive more positive feedback regarding the skate parks -- in terms of participation at our facility at The Block, media attention, and overall enthusiasm from the general public and developers alike - that further convinces us of the viability of this concept."
