Whitehall Jewelers Appoints DJM Realty to Dispose of Remaining 355 Retail Store Leases

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Whitehall Jewelers Appoints DJM Realty to Dispose of Remaining 355 Retail Store Leases

17th September, 2008

Whitehall Jewelers Holdings, Inc. has selected DJM Realty, a Gordon Brothers Group Company, to exclusively manage the national disposition of all remaining retail store leases in the United States. Whitehall Jewelers Holdings is a national specialty retailer of fine jewelry doing business as Whitehall and Lundstrom. Included in the disposition project are leases of former Friedman Jewelers and Crescent Jewelers which Whitehall acquired earlier this year. Whitehall was originally founded in 1895 under the name Marks Bros. Jewelers.

"These 355 leases that DJM Realty will be marketing range in size from 500 to 3,800 square feet. We are pleased to offer these prime locations to retailers; The Whitehall Jewelers portfolio offers stores located in high-traffic areas at or near the 50 yard line in upscale malls throughout the country," said Michael Jerbich, Senior Managing Director of DJM Realty.

The remaining Whitehall Jewelers store leases are available in the following locations: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Whitehall Jewelers, which recently filed for Chapter 11, is currently liquidating its inventory and running going out of business sales through their stores that are expected to last throughout the holiday season. The engagement of DJM Realty, which is subject to bankruptcy court approval, anticipates an auction to be conducted on these properties in late October.

DJM Realty has worked with over 220 retail companies to dispose of their surplus or under-performing real estate. DJM Realty is a leader in finding innovative ways to consolidate and reconfigure real estate to achieve the highest possible value.

About Whitehall Jewelers

Whitehall Jewelers is a national specialty retailer of fine jewelry offering a selection of merchandise in the following categories: diamonds, gold, precious and semi-precious jewelry and watches. As of June 23, 2008, it operated 373 stores in regional and super-regional malls in 39 states, including 78 locations that were acquired in April 2008 from Friedman's Jewelers. Whitehall was originally founded in 1895 under the name Marks Bros. Jewelers.

About Gordon Brothers Group

Founded in 1903, Gordon Brothers Group is a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, real estate and industrial sectors. The firm has unparalleled expertise in assisting healthy and distressed companies maximize the value of under-performing assets and expand operations through new products and distribution channels. Gordon Brothers Group's capabilities include asset valuations, dispositions and appraisals, real estate consulting and acquisitions, retail store operations, lending, equity investments, restructuring and advisory services. The firm's resources include over 250 professionals and 300 field experts, including former CEOs, CFOs, merchants and executives in offices worldwide. During the past three years, Gordon Brothers Group has appraised over $100 billion of assets, managed more than 7,000 stores, sold more than $10 billion of inventory and restructured or sold over 120 million square feet of retail space. In addition, Gordon Brothers Group currently owns over 1,600 stores through various portfolio companies.

About DJM Realty

DJM Realty, a Gordon Brothers Group Company, specializes in real estate dispositions, renegotiation of occupancy costs, acquisitions, valuations and capital solutions. DJM Realty has serviced the nation's most recognizable brands in healthy and distressed situations. Bankruptcy clients include Avado Brands, Bombay, Chi Chi's, Goodie's, Kmart, Linens 'n Things, Rag Shop, The Sharper Image, The Wiz, and Winn-Dixie. DJM Realty was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago.

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