Simon sues tenant Brooks Brothers, seeks $8.7M in unpaid rent
The suit, filed Wednesday in Marion County Superior Court, says the retailer failed to pay rent for April, May and June while closed during the pandemic.
The suit, filed Wednesday in Marion County Superior Court, says the retailer failed to pay rent for April, May and June while closed during the pandemic.
Taubman Centers said in a filing alleging illegal termination that rival mall landlord Simon Property Group knowingly assumed the risks of the pandemic at the time their $3.6 billion merger deal was announced.
Authentic and Simon Property Group also are in discussions with Brooks Brothers Inc. on a joint bid that would be part of a potential bankruptcy filing by that clothing retailer.
Signaling a legal brawl lies ahead, Taubman said Simon “continues to be bound to the transaction in all respects.”
Simon shares fell nearly 6% in early trading Wednesday, to $81.71 each. Taubman shares plummeted nearly 30% after the announcement, to $31.94 each.
Gap Inc. has more than 390 stores at Indianapolis-based Simon’s malls, including its namesake brand, Old Navy and Banana Republic.
CEO David Simon said the company is continuing to work closely with its tenants but declined to discuss how it is assisting those that have faced financial strains from limited or diminished operations.
A smattering of shoppers found a mixed bag of offerings on the first day that nonessential stores were allowed to open, with many retailers remaining closed or still providing pickup-only service.
A company official said it’s “preposterous” to think the company would reopen its malls, especially those in its home state, while stay-at-home orders are still in place.
The 49 Simon Property Group shopping centers that CNBC says are slated to reopen by Monday represent about one-quarter of the company’s U.S. properties.
With store vacancies at an eight-year high, retail landlords see the potential of gamers someday pouring out of their basements and into their shopping meccas as a kind of lifeline.
Firms across the country from a broad range of industries will be taking a hard look at their dividends in the coming weeks, as the pandemic forces businesses to focus on conserving cash.
The company is cutting more than 100 employees and furloughing others as it weathers the temporary shutdown of much of the retail industry.
Since the start of 2020, Simon shares have lost 67.7% of their value—chopping $31 billion off the company’s market capitalization.
Increasingly, as the planet warms, pressure is building from environmentalists, investors, consumers and the general public for corporate America to do something about it.
Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group Inc. and Brookfield Property Partners LP have finalized their $81 million acquisition of the struggling retailer, they announced Wednesday.
The deal sends a resounding message that Simon remains a devout believer in retail real estate, even as the rise of e-commerce has knocked the sector out of favor across the globe.
The talks come as a wave of retail bankruptcies squeeze mall-oriented real estate investment trusts, putting pressure on the industry to consolidate.
The Indianapolis-based shopping mall giant topped analyst predictions for funds from operations and revenue in the latest quarter.
The deal is the latest evidence of Simon’s willingness to step into an ownership role to rescue mall chains that overexpanded and made other blunders as the internet roiled the fashion-retailing industry.