Verizon Wireless Opens New Store in Historic Reading Terminal Headhouse

PHILADELPHIA/PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season, Verizon Wireless will officially open the doors to its newest Communications Store at 1113-1141 Market Street in Center City, Philadelphia, October 19. Verizon Wireless will mark the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and $2,500 donation to Drueding Center/Project Rainbow, a North Philadelphia-based transitional housing program for homeless women and children.

Additionally, Project Rainbow will receive 30 HopeLine mailboxes, a free wireless voicemail service for use by residents without access to a personal phone line, providing them with a private number for use when looking for alternative housing or employment on the road to independence.

Grand Opening festivities on Saturday, October 20 will include a live 102.1 WIOQ-FM radio broadcast from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., an appearance by the Philly Phanatic and a chance to win lunch with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb or a ski trip to Vermont.

The 2,900-square-foot store is located in the Reading Terminal Headhouse, one of Philadelphia's most recognizable and historic structures. Erected in 1888, the Headhouse served for nearly a century as the home office and terminal for Pennsylvania's Reading Railroad. The restored and renovated structure now houses hotel suites, retail shops, a restaurant, and serves as the new entrance for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. With its prime location near the Convention Center, the Verizon Wireless Communications Store will serve the needs of thousands of conventioneers who visit Philadelphia each year.

"We are proud to be part of the revitalization of Market Street East and we look forward to offering our products and services to both Center City customers and to those in town for conventions," said Ann McCrystal, president of Verizon Wireless' Philadelphia Tri-State region.

The new store, managed by Gene Malone, will offer customers a variety of wireless products and services, including Mobile Messenger(SM), the company's fun, fast, discreet and inexpensive two-way text messaging service; Mobile Web, a convenient way to wirelessly access personalized content from the Internet; and numerous hands-free accessories that promote responsible driving.

The store also offers a premier line of digital wireless phones and affordable pricing plans, such as SingleRate(SM) East, a plan that lets customers pay one low rate for calls made from a large 12-state home rate area. No roaming or long distance charges apply for calls to anywhere in the country when calling from this area. Six pricing options are available, starting as low as $35 monthly access for 300 home airtime minutes.

During the grand opening celebration, all attendees who sign an annual agreement for Verizon Wireless service will receive a free hands-free earbud and a Donovan McNabb jersey. Free sports stress balls will be distributed while supplies last.

Hours of operation are: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 5:00 p.m. The Market Street East store is Verizon Wireless' second Center City location -- the other is at 17th and Market Streets.

Verizon Wireless now operates 33 Communications Stores and kiosks in the Philadelphia Tri-State region.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 28 million wireless voice and data customers. The coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD), including Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless and PrimeCo Personal Communications. Verizon Wireless has a footprint covering more than 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 97 of the top 100 U.S. markets. The company, headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, is 40,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com.

SOURCE: Verizon Wireless, 10/18/2001
CONTACT: Diane Buben, +1-215-790-4388 or dbuben@truenorth.com, for Verizon Wireless; or Sheldon Jones of Verizon Wireless, +1-215-638-5668 or sheldon.jones@verizonwireless.com/
Website: http://www.verizonwireless.com
(VZ VOD)