PEABODY, MA – April 1, 2009 – Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the country’s largest owner, developer and manager of high-quality retailer real estate, is pleased to announce the opening of Nordstrom at 10am on Friday, April 17th, 2009 in the newly expanded and renovated Northshore Mall. The 138,000 square-foot department store will anchor the mall’s new expansion wing, which includes an additional 165,000 square feet of retail space currently occupied by a diverse mix of new retailers.

“The opening of Nordstrom to anchor our new wing is an exciting completion to our three phase renovation and redevelopment process,” said Mark Whiting, General Manager of Northshore Mall.  “We have solidified the title as the preeminent shopping destination on the North Shore, and we are confident that Nordstrom will enhance our footprint to make the mall a shopping destination for people as far north as Maine and New Hampshire.”

The new Nordstrom at Northshore Mall will be the retailer’s third store in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area. The two-level store will feature five shoe departments; an expansive cosmetics department; Cafe Bistro, a casual and affordable restaurant; Ebar, which offers fresh coffee beverages and snacks; and a well-edited selection of quality and luxury fashion brands for women, men and children. Merchandise will include well-known fashion brands such as St. John, Elizabeth & James, Tracy Reese, M Missoni, William Rast, Theory, BCBG, Canali, Hugo Boss, John Varvatos, Star USA, Burberry, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Valentino, Michael Kors, Juicy Couture, Stuart Weitzman and Donald J. Pliner. Customers can take advantage of a number of special touches and amenities, including on-site alterations and tailor shop, certified shoe fitters, complimentary beauty and skincare consultations, mother’s lounge, certified bra fitters, prosthesis services for women who have undergone breast surgery, package delivery and a shoeshine stand.

With the addition of Northshore Mall’s expansion wing, which opened in November 2008, came a wave of contemporary new retailers, including: Popular European retailer Zara; United Kingdom-based cosmetics company LUSH; High-end beauty retailer Sephora; Los Angeles-based specialty store Metropark; Sophisticated clothing retailer White House Black Market, and Leading fashion retailer H&M.

The mall also diversified its restaurant mix by adding the upscale Asian eatery P.F. Changs China Bistro, which is the restaurant’s first and only location on the North Shore.

Opening in April at Northshore Mall is a two-level Forever 21. The retailer, which offers the most current fashions at unbeatable prices, will occupy 40,000 square feet of retail space.

Eastern Mountain Sports recently relocated within the mall and a variety of highly-anticipated new stores will be opening in the coming months, including: The North Face; Clark’s of England; Hollister; dELliA*s; Bebe; and Pandora Jewelers.

Prior to Nordstrom’s opening, the store will host Nordstrom Fits America, a special bra fitting event on Saturday, April 4th, 2009 from 8:30am-4:30pm. Customers will have the opportunity to meet with a certified fit expert for a complimentary bra fitting. For every bra purchased, Nordstrom and participating brands will donate $2 to the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure.

Additionally, to celebrate the opening, Nordstrom will host an Opening Gala on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 from 7pm-10pm inside the store. Guests can enjoy cocktails, dinner and dessert buffets, live entertainment and sneak preview shopping. Tickets are $75 per person, with all proceeds benefiting The Friends of Beverly Hospital, North Shore Music Theatre and Essex County Community Foundation. Tickets can be purchased by calling: (978) 236-1600, or online at: beverlyhospital.org/gala. Also, a Beauty Bash is scheduled to take place the morning of Friday, April 17th. 2009 beginning at 8am, prior to the store’s official 10am opening. Nordstrom beauty advisers will share the inside scoop on the tips and tricks for looking your fabulous best. More information is available at: (866) 455-7442.

About Northshore Mall: Northshore Mall delivers a convenient approach to upscale shopping. Anchored by department store favorites Macy’s, Macy’s Men’s & Home Store, JCPenney, Filene’s Basement, Sears and a new Nordstrom, the center offers a full range of retail, restaurant and entertainment for its shoppers. Northshore Mall offers guests a generous variety of more than 120 specialty stores, a 12-unit food court and six full-service restaurants, including Legal Sea Foods, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, Bertucci’s, Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, The Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs China Bistro.

About Simon Property Group: Simon Property Group, Inc. is an S&P 500 company and the largest public U.S. real estate company. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers®, The Mills®, community/lifestyle centers and international properties. It currently owns or has an interest in 386 properties comprising 263 million square feet of gross leasable area in North America, Europe and Asia. The Company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employs more than 5,000 people worldwide. Simon Property Group, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol SPG. For further information, visit the Company’s website at: www.simon.com

Neither can most women. The statistic most often cited, from Oprah to the New York Times, is that 85 percent of us wear the wrong bra size, which can cause back pain, sagging, and aesthetic disaster.

“The right bra should be snug, with room for no more than a finger or two inside the band, and your ribcage—not your shoulders—should bear the weight,” says Merit Tukiainen, owner of Night & Day Lingerie. The store’s two locations in Andover and Newburyport specialize in fit (other area stores that offer bra fittings include Nordstrom, French Lessons, and Andrea Raymond Apparel). “Most women wear bras that are too big around, and too small in the cup,” says Tukiainen.

At Night & Day’s Andover location, I stand in the dressing room in jeans and a pretty lace bra by Natori, size 32C, while Tukiainen gives me the once over, twice. “It’s cute,” she says, “and fits around, but see this extra material at the top?” According to Tukiainen’s tape measure, I’m a 32B. Bras are sized not unlike pants, however, and just as a two at Ann Taylor might mean a six at Calvin Klein, cup and girth often vary between brands. Which is why a trained eye, your significant other excluded, can be more than just a luxury.

“One woman started crying when she saw herself in the mirror,” recalls Tukiainen. “She’d been wearing 38D. She left wearing 34F, and looked ten to fifteen years younger just by virtue of her breasts being where they should be.” Over the course of an hour, I’m handed more than 20 bras, and together Tukiainen and I decide which are keepers—her eye towards fit, mine toward form (nude or black, lightly padded, and very simple).

The process is remarkably easy, and a lot less touchy-feely than I imagined. I leave with a $90 Chantelle bra in a practical nude. In it, my clothes look better. My shoulders and back more relaxed. And my breasts, by God, a little bit perkier.

If the Bra Fits… Clues Hide and Peek you’re wearing the wrong size.
1. You adjust your bra constantly. The band of the bra should lie between your shoulder and your elbow, says Tukiainen. If the straps fall throughout the day, your bra’s too big.
2. Your cups runneth over (or under). You want your breasts to completely fill the bra. This may mean wearing a bigger cup size than you’re used to, or tossing bras whose cups have stretched beyond usefulness.
3. The bra rides up your back or digs into your shoulders. “Your bra should be snug,” says Tukiainen. “Snug means it’s supportive. Even if you have to deal with a little bit of bulge.” Too little support around can put too much pressure on strap-bearing shoulders.
4. You remove your bra as soon as you get home. If it’s that uncomfortable, says Tukiainen, something’s wrong.

Night & Day, 63 Park St., Andover, 978-475-0343; 58 Merrimac St., Newburyport, 978-463-0343; nightanddaylingerie.com. Private appointments available. —Alyssa Giacobbe