DDG and Extreme Unite to Create Innovative Destinations and Experiences
By: Identity Team
BALTIMORE, January 12, 2009—Baltimore-based, globally renowned, Development Design Group, Inc. (DDG), and London-based lifestyle company, The Extreme Group, today announced a partnership which will see the DDG and Extreme brand expand across all continents and into the lives of consumers around the world.
In a first for both companies, DDG and Extreme will join forces to leverage their collective experience, creative talents and lifestyle brand positioning to develop global recreational attractions.
United, they will produce new ‘Extreme Leisure’ destinations to anchor high-energy retail; mixed-use and entertainment developments; and further expand the existing Extreme Parks, Attractions, Retail, Hotels and Restaurant brands.
Lead by CEO Roy Higgs, DDG is one of the world’s leading leisure design firm’s with award winning projects such as Expo-Xplore, Durban, South Africa; Fenerbahce, Ülker City, Istanbul, Turkey; Westgate City Phoenix, Arizona; Supermall Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia, Jewel of India, Jaipur, India; Town Square, Las Vegas, Nevada, and many more.
DDG CEO Roy Higgs said this partnership represents a convergence of vision, energy, opportunity and execution.
“This is about combining the Extreme brand and DDG’s 150 strong creative team of architects, planners, designers, graphic specialists and model builder’s skills to compliment a number of projects and opportunities that both groups have happening around the world,” Mr Higgs said.
The Extreme Group CEO Al Gosling said this is another significant millstone for the Extreme Group and further demonstrates the fierce competitiveness of the company.
“This is huge and will be as big as we can imagine; the sky is the limit and the world our playground with this partnership,” Mr Gosling said.
“DDG brings more than 20 years of experience dreaming, designing and creating memory-making destinations for developers around the world and Extreme is very excited to have partnered with the global entity,” he said.
Mr Gosling said, “over the previous 11 years Extreme has become the world’s most recognisable and diverse sports lifestyle brand with the Extreme Sports TV Channel alone reaching more than 40 million households in 78 countries every day.
“Having taken the brand into over 20 areas from television and retail to hotels and restaurants, we have the vision to encompass all of these developments into the ultimate one-stop Extreme leisure experience,” he said.
According to Mr Higgs and Mr Gosling, these opportunities could include everything from branded restaurants, merchandise, retail stores and hotels, combined with extreme sports experiences, including motocross; skate parks; 4×4 courses; flowriders; indoor snow domes and beaches; and other extreme sports activities.
Mr Higgs said, “our intention is to identify opportunities and work with our developer partners to create ‘extreme sports destinations’ that are harmoniously integrated into the projects and culturally attuned to the lifestyles of the markets in which they are located. In addition, there are great opportunities to expand in the increasingly competitive shopping centre development industry worldwide.”
Mr Gosling said “the world has embraced the extreme lifestyle, and although this is diverse and spans across all age groups and demographics, the core of the extreme lifestyle sits squarely in the middle of the most influential and powerful demographic to ever to walk the planet—generation Y and we plan to create revolutionary products for this market.”
Design concepts and images of existing Extreme attractions will be available for public viewing at ICSC National Conference and Deal Making, New York, December 8-10, 2008.
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About Development Design Group – DDG
Development Design Group Inc. is a leading international architecture, planning, graphics and design firm with a history of creating high-profile, high-quality environments around the world. The company’s vast portfolio includes exciting new retail and entertainment concepts; first-class hotel, leisure, and resort facilities; unique office and residential designs; and large mixed-use destinations offering a range of elements and activities. DDG specializes in entertainment/retail, regional planning, waterfront development, urban and suburban revitalization, specialty centre development, and creative concept generation for land use.
About The Extreme Group
The Extreme Group is an entrepreneur led collection of companies founded in 1995 by Al Gosling. The brand is currently in over 40 million homes in 70 countries and 12 languages.
Today the Extreme Group delivers consumers a range of branded lifestyle products and services including:
• Extreme Sports Channel – TV
• Extreme Hotels – cutting edge accommodation precincts
• Extreme Stores – Sport and lifestyle fashion stores
• Extreme Element – sports courses and experiences service
• Extreme Cred – pre pay credit cards
• Extreme Entertainment – TV production and distribution
• Extremepie.com – online and mail order retailer
• Extreme Freshies – café restaurants
• Extreme Parks – sports theme parks
• Extreme Drinks – natural functional healthy drinks
• Extreme Raw State – apparel, footwear, sunglasses and watches
• Extreme Publishing – trade and consumer magazines and DVD’s
• Extreme Medics – paramedics and emergency services rescue
• Extreme Mob – mobile network MVNO
• Extreme Events – sports and music events company
• Extreme Time – edgy, en vogue, fashion and tech watch
• Extreme Decko – large format picture and graphic
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