Baltimore RiteAid Conventions Baltimore Filenes Basement wll stay open

From Downtown Partnership: The Good and the Bad: Baltimore Downtown Stakeholder:We have just learned that, as of this afternoon, the clothing retailer Syms has purchased Filene's Basement and plans to keep the Downtown Baltimore store at Lockwood Place open.  We couldn't be more pleased at this turn of events.  We worked very hard to show the value of this Downtown location and want to thank Mayor Dixon for leading the charge, as well as the Baltimore Development Corporation, the employees of Downtown's Filene's Basement, and the Lockwood Place development team of A&R Development Corporation and David S. Brown Enterprises. - Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Inc

From CITYPEEK: Rite Aid Corp. has canceled its annual convention in Baltimore, depriving hotels and restaurants of critical revenue during the city’s peak tourist season.

Rite Aid, which lost $2.9 billion in its latest fiscal year and is shuttering distribution centers as it grapples with the recession, is one of many big companies pulling out of conference plans and conventions nationwide. And such cancellations are hurting what hospitality experts call “destination cities” at a time when the industry is already struggling with the economic downturn.

The national drugstore chain, based in Camp Hill, Pa., had been one of Baltimore’s biggest conventions in recent years, bringing 6,000 people to town and pumping $6 million from direct spending into the city in 2008 and more than $7 million the year before.

The company had originally booked 14,500 hotel room nights for its nine-day expo in mid-August, but had to scrap the convention because of financial pressures. The company reported fiscal 2009 revenue of $6.7 billion.

From the BBJ Friday May 28. Share with link below. Make any comments to this loss below.