Massachusetts Consumers Can Soon Buy Furniture and FiOS in One Place

BOSTON - When Jordan's Furniture shoppers try out a new easy chair or select other furniture for their new home theater setup, they can soon try out Verizon's new FiOS TV service in the store. And they can do it without having to leave the comfort of the chair or sofa they are sitting in.

Verizon and Jordan's Furniture Thursday (Feb. 21) announced a unique marketing agreement under which Verizon will construct a Verizon lifestyle store within the Jordan's Furniture complex in Reading, Mass. The store will feature Verizon's revolutionary new FiOS voice, Internet and TV services, and visitors can experience the services in the comfort of Jordan's beautiful furniture.

In addition, Verizon has acquired the naming rights of Jordan's two IMAX Theaters, in Reading and Natick, Mass, and the company's Motion Odyssey Movie Theater in Avon, Mass.

The multidimensional sponsorship will provide millions of New England's IMAX viewers and Jordan's shoppers the opportunity to experience and order premier FiOS products and services throughout New England. The partnership is a comprehensive, across-company integration of marketing initiatives, opportunities and promotions.

"This is a perfect example of a win-win situation," said Eliot Tatelman, president and chief operating officer of Jordan's. "Verizon and Jordan's win because of the multitude of on-site and on-screen opportunities that are available for cross-promotion. However, most importantly, the customers win because of the additional products now available under one roof. Customers will be able to literally experience Verizon technology, all in the comfort of the furniture showrooms of Jordan's."

At Jordan's, consumers will be able to experience FiOS TV live on an HDTV set and test drive FiOS Internet, something they can't do online or over the phone.

"There is great synergy between the two companies, and we are very excited about all of the future possibilities," said Tatelman.

Brenda Sowers, Verizon's director of alternate channel sales, said: "This is a unique, powerful branding and marketing opportunity to promote Verizon and our exciting FiOS services. Verizon and Jordan's are two formidable brands in the New England marketplace, and our marketing partnership is a natural fit."

In addition to the Verizon lifestyle store soon opening in Reading, customers can now visit Verizon at one of the company's staffed kiosks at Jordan's Furniture at Beantown in Reading, on Bourbon Street in Natick, or coming soon to the Jordan's Avon, Mass., location. Some of the opportunities within the sponsorship deal include pre-movie Verizon commercials customized in the IMAX format and customer coupon offers for Jordan's and Verizon's products and services.

Jordan's Furniture operates a 275-seat IMAX 3D Theater in Natick, as well as a 500-seat IMAX 3D Theater in Reading, and the Motion Odyssey Movie Theater in Avon. Jordan's Furniture, New England's largest furniture retailer, is a division of Berkshire Hathaway.

For more information, log on to www.jordans.com.

FiOS TV is Verizon's new fiber-optic television service, which offers a better-quality picture, more high-definition and on-demand programs, and more reliable service at competitive prices to more than 400,000 households in some 63 Massachusetts communities.

FiOS TV is delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability. Verizon is the first company to offer such a network, connecting homes and businesses directly to fiber optics on a widespread scale.

In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet service at download speeds up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 20 Mbps.* 

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 66 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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