GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer initiated a voluntary recall of two types of its Meijer Brand dry-roasted peanuts and four types of Meijer Brand ice cream novelties sold in all of its stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. Meijer removed all identified products from its stores and gas stations. All sell-by dates are impacted by this recall.

Specifically, Meijer has recalled the following items:

• Meijer Bulk Dry Roasted Peanuts, UPC #2-18537-00000-8
• Markets of Meijer Dry Roasted Peanuts, UPC #7-19283-91733-1
• Meijer Vanilla Sundae Cone w/ Peanuts (with Garfield on packaging) UPC #7-19283-74019-9
• Meijer Vanilla Sundae Cone w/ Peanuts (without Garfield on packaging) UPC #7-19283-91235-0
• Meijer Fudge Sundae Cone w/ Peanuts (with Garfield on packaging) UPC #7-19283-74020-5
• Meijer Fudge Sundae Cone w/ Peanuts (without Garfield on packaging) UPC #7-19283-91245-9

Meijer has taken these steps following announcements from the products’ manufacturers that they may possibly be contaminated with salmonella. While none of the Meijer brand products have been identified as contaminated or linked to any illness, Meijer has received these products from Nut Bar Company, Inc. and Fieldbrook Foods, both of which used peanuts from Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely, Georgia, which has been verified as the source of contaminated peanut products.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Website at http://www.cdc.gov.

Meijer requests that customers who have purchased these products destroy the product or return them to any Meijer location for a full refund. If Meijer customers are unsure if they have the recalled product, they are requested to bring in the product for determination or contact the Meijer customer contact center at 800-543-3704. Consumers with questions or concerns about their health should contact their health care provider. If symptoms are present, please visit a health care provider or go to a hospital emergency room.

“The safety of our customers is always our number one priority,” said Frank J. Guglielmi, director of public relations for Meijer. “Meijer has taken these precautionary steps to help protect our customers and will return this product to our stores only once it is safe for our shoppers.”

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tippecanoe County Sheriff Tracy Brown announced today that the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association will again be awarding college scholarships to qualified high school seniors or college students who are pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies. There will be approximately forty (40) five hundred dollar ($500.00) scholarships awarded to qualifying students throughout the state.

The Indiana Sheriffs’ Association Scholarship fund was established for the purpose of receiving, investing, and dispensing of funds to provide college scholarships to qualified students who are committed pursuing an education and career in the law enforcement field.

To qualify for one of these scholarships, the applicant must be an Indiana resident, be a current member of the association or a dependent child or grandchild of a current member of the association, attend an Indiana college or university, major in a law enforcement field and enroll as a full-time student (12 hours).

Applications for the scholarships are available from the high school counselor, the Sheriff’s Office located at 2640 Duncan Road, Lafayette, Indiana, or at its website at www.tippecanoesheriff.com.

The application must be completed and received by the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association on or before April 1, 2008.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Bo Kuzee-Baumis has joined the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing as director of development and recruitment.

Kuzee-Baumis has 20 years of development experience in the Greater Lafayette area. Previously she worked in the oncology department at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. She has also served as the area executive director for the American Cancer Society and as the director of development for both Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Taste of Tippecanoe.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG) today announced results for the quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2008:

• Funds from operations (”FFO”) for the quarter increased 6.5% to $540.5 million from $507.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. On a diluted per share basis the increase was 5.7% to $1.86 from $1.76 in 2007. Included in fourth quarter 2008 FFO was an impairment charge of $21.2 million, or $0.07 per share, related to the write-off of certain predevelopment projects that have been abandoned and the write-down of an operating asset to its estimated net realizable value.
• FFO for the twelve months increased 9.5% to $1.852 billion from $1.692 billion in 2007. On a diluted per share basis the increase was 8.8% to $6.42 from $5.90 in 2007.
• Net income available to common stockholders for the quarter increased 28.6% to $145.2 million from $112.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. On a diluted per share basis the increase was 25.5% to $0.64 from $0.51 in 2007.
• Net income available to common stockholders for the twelve months decreased 3.1% to $422.5 million from $436.2 million in 2007. On a diluted per share basis the decrease was 4.1% to $1.87 from $1.95 in 2007.

“We are very pleased to report such strong performance, especially in these difficult economic times. It is a testament to our high quality portfolio and strong balance sheet that we delivered FFO growth of 8.8% for the year,” said David Simon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We recognized well over a year ago that the economy was deteriorating and adopted aggressive cost control measures, significantly reduced our development spending, and enhanced our liquidity position. The retail environment has been and will continue to be challenging in the upcoming months, however, we are experienced in working through difficult economic cycles. We believe we are positioned to deliver earnings and FFO growth in 2009.

Our Board of Directors has made the prudent decision to pay our quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share in a combination of 10% cash and 90% common stock. We believe this change in composition will fortify one of the industry’s strongest balance sheets (rated A-/A3) as it will permit us to retain over $925 million of cash if adopted for all of 2009. This decision is a reflection of our conservative stance on capital allocation and liability management and is not in response to the current retail operating environment.”

Dividends

Today the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved the declaration of a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.90 per share, consisting of a combination of cash and shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company intends that the aggregate cash component of the dividend will not exceed 10% in the aggregate, or $0.09 per share. The dividend is payable on March 18, 2009 to stockholders of record on February 12, 2009.

Paying 90% of the 2009 dividend in shares of SPG common stock allows SPG to satisfy its REIT taxable income distribution requirement while enhancing its already considerable financial flexibility and balance sheet strength.

In accordance with the provisions of IRS Revenue Procedure 2008-68, stockholders may elect to receive payment of the dividend all in cash or all in common shares. To the extent that more than 10% of cash is elected, the cash portion will be prorated. Stockholders who elect to receive the dividend in cash will receive a cash payment of at least $0.09 per share. Stockholders who do not make an election will receive 10% in cash and 90% in common stock.

The Company expects the dividend to be a taxable dividend to its stockholders, without regard to whether a particular stockholder receives the dividend in the form of cash or shares, and reserves the right to pay the dividend entirely in cash.

The number of shares issued as a result of the dividend will be calculated based on the volume weighted average trading prices of the Company’s common stock on March 11, March 12 and March 13, 2009.

An information letter and election form will be mailed to stockholders of record promptly after February 12, 2009. The properly completed election form to receive cash or common shares must be received by the Company’s transfer agent prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 10, 2009. Registered stockholders with questions regarding the dividend election may call BNY Mellon Shareowner Services, the Company’s transfer agent, at (800)454-9768. If your shares are held through a bank, broker or nominee, and you have questions regarding the dividend election please contact such bank, broker or nominee, who will also be responsible for distributing to you the letter and election form and submitting the election form on your behalf.

The Company also declared dividends on its two outstanding public issues of preferred stock:

• 6% Series I Convertible Perpetual Preferred (NYSE: SPGPrI) dividend of $0.75 per share is payable on February 27, 2009 to stockholders of record on February 13, 2009.
• 8 3/8% Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred (NYSE: SPGPrJ) dividend of $1.046875 per share is payable on March 31, 2009 to stockholders of record on March 17, 2009.

2009 Guidance

After giving effect to the estimated impact of paying up to 90% of the Company’s 2009 common stock dividends in common stock, the Company estimates that diluted FFO will be within a range of $6.40 to $6.60 per share for the year ending December 31, 2009, and diluted net income will be within a range of $1.95 to $2.15 per share.

The Company’s 2009 guidance estimates are based upon its internal budgeting and planning process and management’s view of current market and economic conditions, including those in the retail real estate business. The Company’s expectations also reflect the weaker retail environment and weakened state of the U.S. economy, as well as the current dislocation in the U.S. capital markets.

The 2009 guidance assumes comparable property NOI growth for the following operating portfolios:

Regional Malls Flat to 1.0%

Premium Outlet Centers 3.0% to 5.0%

The 2009 guidance assumes an interest rate environment that is consistent with the current forward yield curves for one month LIBOR and the 10 Year U.S. Treasury note and makes certain assumptions on debt spreads. The guidance assumes no future acquisition or disposition activities other than the impact in 2009 from 2008 activity.

This guidance is a forward-looking statement and is subject to the risks and other factors described elsewhere in this release.

The following table provides the reconciliation of the range of estimated diluted net income available to common stockholders per share to estimated diluted FFO per share.

For the year ending December 31, 2009
Low High
End End

Estimated diluted net income available to
common stockholders per share $1.95 $2.15

Depreciation and amortization including our
share of joint ventures 4.56 4.56

Impact of additional dilutive securities (0.11) (0.11)

Estimated diluted FFO per share $6.40 $6.60

Capital Markets

During the fourth quarter, the Company completed seven asset financings, generating $583.9 million of proceeds (Simon’s share of proceeds was $313.2 million). The financings were completed with a weighted average term of 5.7 years and at an average interest rate of 5.9% on the fixed rate financings and a rate at year-end of 2.4% on the floating rate loans.

As of December 31, 2008, the Company had approximately $1.1 billion of cash on hand, including its share of joint ventures, and over $2.4 billion of available capacity on its revolving credit facility.

U.S. New Development and Redevelopment Activity

On November 13th, the Company announced the opening of Jersey Shore Premium Outlets. Located in Tinton Falls, Jersey Shore Premium Outlets contains 435,000 square feet of gross leasable area and 120 designer and name-brand outlet stores. The center is currently 92% leased to tenants including Ann Taylor, BCBG Max Azria, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Elie Tahari, Geox, Guess, J.Crew, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole, Lucky Brand, Michael Kors, Nike, Sony, Theory and Tommy Hilfiger.

The Company continues construction on the following development projects:

– Cincinnati Premium Outlets, a 400,000 square foot upscale manufacturers’ outlet center serving the greater Cincinnati and Dayton markets. The center is 100% owned by Simon and is scheduled to open in August of 2009.

– A 600,000 square foot Phase II expansion of The Domain in Austin, Texas. The expansion will include Dillard’s, a Village Road Show theater, Dick’s Sporting Goods, 136,000 square feet of small shops and restaurants, and 78,000 square feet of office space. Restaurant offerings at Domain II will include Maggiano’s and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. The Company owns 100% of this project, slated for an opening in November of 2009.

During the fourth quarter, the Company completed significant redevelopment projects at Northshore Mall in the Boston suburb of Peabody (with Nordstrom opening this March), Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh, and Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, Washington as well as the expansion of Orlando Premium Outlets in Orlando, Florida.

Construction continues on two significant redevelopment projects:

– Camarillo Premium Outlets-The Promenade – 220,000 square foot expansion of the upscale outlet center to be anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th and Neiman Marcus Last Call, opening in April of 2009.

– South Shore Plaza – Addition of Nordstrom opening in March of 2010.

International Activity

On October 16th, the Company opened Sendai-Izumi Premium Outlets, the seventh Premium Outlet Center in Japan. The 172,000 square foot first phase of the project is 100% leased to 80 tenants including Beams, Brooks Brothers, Bose, Coach, Hush Puppies, Jill Stuart, Kipling, Laundry, Levi’s, Miss Sixty, OshKosh B’Gosh, Pleats Please Issey Miyake, St. John, T-Fal, Tasaki, United Arrows, as well as the first outlet stores in Japan for PLS+T and Ray Ban. Simon owns 40% of this property.

Construction continues on the following international development projects:

– Ami Premium Outlets – an upscale manufacturers’ outlet center located approximately 34 miles northeast of central Tokyo. Phase I, comprising 225,000 square feet, is scheduled to open in July of 2009 with approximately 100 tenants, including global brands, domestic brands and restaurants. The center is expandable to approximately 360,000 square feet. Simon owns 40% of this project.

– Argine (Naples, Italy) – a 300,000 square foot shopping center scheduled to open in December of 2009. Simon owns a 24% interest in this project.

– Catania (Sicily, Italy) – a 642,000 square foot shopping center scheduled to open in June of 2010. Simon owns a 24% interest in this project.

– Three projects in China located in Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Zhengzhou. The centers range in size from 310,000 to 750,000 square feet, will be anchored by Wal-Mart, and are scheduled to open in 2009. Simon owns a 32.5% interest in each of these projects.

Conference Call

The Company will provide an online simulcast of its quarterly conference call at www.simon.com (Investor Relations tab), www.earnings.com, and www.streetevents.com. To listen to the live call, please go to any of these websites at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. The call will begin at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (New York time) today, January 30, 2009. An online replay will be available for approximately 90 days at www.simon.com, www.earnings.com, and www.streetevents.com. A fully searchable podcast of the conference call will also be available at www.REITcafe.com shortly after completion of the call.

Supplemental Materials

The Company will publish a supplemental information package which will be available at www.simon.com in the Investor Relations section, Financial Information tab. It will also be furnished to the SEC as part of a current report on Form 8-K. If you wish to receive a copy via mail or email, please call 800-461-3439.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that Enrique Conterno, currently senior vice president of health care professional markets for Lilly in the U.S., has been promoted to president, Lilly USA, LLC. Conterno will succeed Deirdre Connelly, who has led Lilly’s U.S. operations since 2005. Connelly has resigned from the company to pursue other opportunities.

Conterno joined Lilly as a sales representative in 1992. From 1993 to 1995, he held roles as a financial analyst, marketing associate, and business development manager. In 1996, Conterno became sales and marketing director for Lilly’s Peru affiliate, and in 1998 he assumed the same role for Lilly Brazil. In 2000, Conterno was named executive director of marketing for Lilly’s intercontinental region (all international markets except for Europe and Japan). In 2003, Conterno became general manager of Lilly Mexico, and in 2006 he was promoted to vice president of Lilly’s neuroscience business unit in the U.S. He then assumed his current role in June 2008.

Born in Lima, Peru, Conterno received a master’s of business administration degree from Duke University in 1992. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University that he received in 1989.

“Enrique brings more than 16 years of proven results and strong leadership to one of the company’s most important positions,” said John Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “He understands the complexities of the U.S. marketplace, he has stressed the need to accelerate the transformation that is underway at this company, and he is focused on the needs of the patients we serve. I am pleased that Enrique has accepted this challenge and am confident that he will succeed in this key leadership role. ”

Conterno will report to Bryce Carmine, executive vice president of global marketing and sales. He will join the company’s operations committee, and will remain a member of the senior management council. Conterno will assume his new role immediately.

Deirdre Connelly, former president of Lilly USA, LLC, has resigned from the company effective immediately to pursue other career interests.

Said Lechleiter, “We regret that Deirdre has decided to leave Lilly. Her passion for the patients we serve will be greatly missed. She has delivered strong results in every role she has held at Lilly. She has displayed a remarkable level of energy and integrity, and she has built a team and a culture that have proven to be successful. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Enrique Conterno, I am confident, will build further on the foundation Deirdre and her team have established.”