Chicago French Market Presented with Friends of Downtown's "Welcome to Downtown" Award

Non-profit civic group Friends of Downtown presented Chicago French Market (131 N. Clinton St., Chicago; 312-575-0306) with the "Welcome to Downtown" award at the organization's annual awards presentation Wednesday, May 5 at ZED 451 in Chicago's River North neighborhood.

Accepting the award on behalf of Chicago French Market, U.S. Equities Realty and the Bensidoun family were Jennifer Siragusa of U.S. Equities Realty and Chicago French Market manager Leslie Cahill.

"Chicago French Market, U.S. Equities Realty and the Bensidoun Family are honored for the recognition by Friends of Downtown," said Sebastien Bensidoun of the Bensidoun family, owners and operators of Chicago French Market and other farmers' and French markets throughout the Chicago suburbs and Paris metro area. "We truly feel we have been welcomed to downtown Chicago."

Other award winners included "Coolest Things," The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower (also managed by U.S. Equities Realty); "Best Commemoration," Burnham Plan Centennial; "Quality of Life," CTA Bus Tracker; "Best New Open Space," The Riverwalk Extension; "Life Boat," Water Taxis; "Best Restoration," Sullivan Center Ironwork; "Best New Office Building," 300 N. LaSalle; "Best New Building," Trump International Hotel & Tower; and "Best Ripple Effect," Aqua.

Founded in 1981, Friends of Downtown is a not-for-profit civic group that promotes intelligent planning, superior design and awareness of important issues affecting Chicago's downtown area. Friends of Downtown creates awareness of important issues affecting downtown, enabling citizens to develop their understanding and voice their opinions of Chicago's physical and social environment. For more information on Friends of Downtown, call (312) 458-9454 or visit www.friendsofdowntown.org.

Chicago French Market is a European-inspired market offering an array of local produce, meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheese and wine, chocolates, pastas, artisan-made goods, flowers and a seating area for customers. Chicago French Market's 30 vendors stay open year-round, six days per week, and is located within the new MetraMarket development at 131 N. Clinton St. (between Washington and Randolph Streets). For more information, visit www.chicagofrenchmarket.com.

CHICAGO FRENCH MARKET INFORMATION

Location: 131 North Clinton Street (between Randolph and Washington Streets)

Chicago, Illinois 60661

Phone Number: 312-575-0306

Hours: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Closed Sunday

Parking: Covered, ground-level parking is available. Parking is

complimentary for one hour or less with purchases totaling $20 or more at Chicago French Market vendors.

About Chicago French Market - A Bensidoun Family Market

Chicago French Market is Chicago's first and only year-round, European-inspired indoor market, a convenient new option for on-the-go commuters, community residents, area workers and tourists alike who seek high quality foods and artisan goods, dining options and memorable gifts. The 15,000-square-foot Chicago French Market is located at 131 North Clinton Street and is the anchor tenant for MetraMarket, an accessible, one-stop destination that provides not only cultural and culinary experiences, but also life's essentials and convenience products.

The Bensidoun family, Chicago French Market operators, managers and co-developers, is the largest operator of open-air markets in Paris. The family members are fourth generation market operators. Thousands of vendors sell goods at the more than 80 markets throughout the Paris metropolitan area, including Marche Raspail, one of the largest certified organic markets in Europe. In 1996, the Bensidouns decided to expand outside of Europe to develop French Markets in the United States and chose Chicago

for their U.S. base of operations. The Bensidouns now operate sixteen seasonal markets in the U.S., thirteen of which are located in Chicago and area suburbs. All of the Bensidoun's markets bring a sense of local community found in the markets of Europe, and provide customers with a place to gather, socialize, purchase quality goods at reasonable prices and meet directly with knowledgeable artisans, farmers and purveyors. For more information, visit www.chicagofrenchmarket.com.

About MetraMarket

MetraMarket is an accessible, one-stop destination that provides not only cultural and culinary experiences, but also life's essentials and convenience products. The 100,000-square-foot street level development is connected to Ogilvie Transportation Center's bustling suburban commuter concourse and spans two city blocks bound by Lake, Canal, Washington and Clinton Streets. MetraMarket's other tenants include a 14,000-square-foot CVS/Pharmacy and a 2,045-square-foot Espression by Lavazza Italian café both now open. MetraMarket is a collaboration between developer U.S. Equities Realty, Metra and the City of Chicago. For more information, visit www.metramarket.com.

About U.S. Equities Realty

U.S. Equities Realty is a leading full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Chicago. The company serves as a strategic real estate advisor to clients throughout the United States and Latin America, providing development, program management, build-to-suit and construction oversight services; asset management, leasing and repositioning; tenant representation, consulting and advisory services; and financial and investment services.

One of the company's distinctions is its vision to transform or reposition underutilized areas into thriving urban destinations that benefit the community's local economy, create jobs and expand entrepreneurial opportunities for new local businesses. As a pioneer developer on the forefront of change, U.S. Equities has helped to transform other underutilized transit centers including Denver Union Station, Chicago Union Station and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, plus 30^th Street Station and MetroMarket at Suburban Station in Philadelphia. U.S. Equities has also overseen the development of other transformative projects in Chicago including Millennium Park, Stony Island Plaza, John Hancock Center, One Financial Place, Spertus Institute and Willis Tower (previously Sears Tower). The company is committed to sustainable development in all of its endeavors, and assesses sustainable alternatives in all of its business practices and services. For more information, visit www.usequities.com

For more information on Chicago French Market, interviews, media tours and high-resolution images: Contact Cindy Kurman or Catherine Patterson at (312) 651-9000 or kurmanstaff@kurman.com.