Acquires Inventory at Royal Suites at Atlantic Palace and Plans to
Establish New Sales Presence in New Jersey
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2008--Bluegreen
Corporation (NYSE: BXG), a leading provider of Colorful Places to Live
and Play(R), today announced it has acquired vacation ownership
inventory at Royal Suites at Atlantic Palace (also known as Fantasea
Resorts Atlantic Palace) located at 1507 Boardwalk in Atlantic City,
NJ. Bluegreen(R) will also manage the Interval Owner Association and
establish a new sales office at the 31-story ocean-front resort. Terms
of the deal were not disclosed.
Atlantic Palace features approximately 197 studio, one-bedroom,
and two-bedroom timeshare units, of which Bluegreen purchased
approximately 1,200 intervals (weeks). Bluegreen will manage the
Interval Owner Association at the resort which has approximately 9,000
owners. Atlantic Palace is located beachfront on the Atlantic City
Boardwalk and features an outdoor pool, hot tub, game room, exercise
room, steam room and sauna.
Bluegreen plans to renovate approximately 16,000 square feet of
the resort in order to establish a sales preview center. Bluegreen
Vacation Club sales in Atlantic City are expected to begin in the
second quarter of 2008 contingent upon meeting all applicable
registration requirements.
"This new property expands our vacation destination portfolio and
establishes Bluegreen's sales and marketing presence in a location
that is within easy driving distance of a third of the population of
the United States, " noted John M. Maloney, Jr., president and chief
executive officer of Bluegreen. "This vacation ownership resort is
situated in the heart of the casino district and bordered by Atlantic
City's world renowned beach and boardwalk. Shopping, gambling,
top-name entertainment, and world-class golf and fishing are just a
few of the reasons that more than 37 million people visit Atlantic
City each year."
Bluegreen expects to contribute to the local economy through
increased tourism and employment. Forty-two personnel previously
employed in guest services at the resort are expected to become
Bluegreen employees, and the company expects to hire sales and
marketing professionals for its new sales preview center. Bluegreen
will also be looking to develop marketing alliances with area vendors
to provide additional incentives to its guests, including admission
tickets to local attractions, and restaurant and merchandise
certificates.
ABOUT BLUEGREEN CORPORATION
Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG) is a leading provider of Colorful
Places to Live and Play(R) through two principal operating divisions.
With more than 185,000 owners, Bluegreen Resorts markets a flexible,
real estate-based vacation ownership plan that provides access to over
40 resorts and an exchange network of over 3,700 resorts and other
vacation experiences such as cruises and hotel stays. Bluegreen
Communities has sold over 56,300 planned residential and golf
community homesites in 32 states since 1985. Founded in 1966,
Bluegreen is headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., and currently employs
over 6,000 associates. More information about Bluegreen is available
at www.bluegreencorp.com.
Statements in this release may constitute forward-looking
statements and are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provision of the
Private Securities and Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Use of words
such as "plan", "plans", "expects", "will," and other forward-looking
statements are based largely on expectations and are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties including but not limited to the
risks and uncertainties associated with economic, competitive and
other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets,
products and services, that the new resort will not be as attractive a
destination as anticipated, there will be delays in the renovation,
that the renovation will not be completed as anticipated, the risk
that sales and marketing will not be as successful as anticipated,
that marketing alliances will not be identified or as successful as
anticipated, and the risk factors and other issues detailed in the
Company's SEC filings, including its most recent Annual Report on Form
10-K filed on March 3, 2008.
CONTACT: Investor:
Bluegreen Corporation
Tony Puleo, 561-912-8270
Chief Financial Officer
tony.puleo@bluegreencorp.com
or
The Equity Group Inc.
Devin Sullivan, 212-836-9608
dsullivan@equityny.com
or
Media:
Bluegreen Corporation
Lisa Thornhill, 561-912-8251
Director, Corporate Communications
lisa.thornhill@bluegreencorp.com
SOURCE: Bluegreen Corporation