Malls are back. But for how long?
CNN
Few retail sectors were hit harder than malls during the height of the pandemic. But things bounced back far quicker than almost anyone expected.
Simon Property Group (SPG), the nation's largest mall operator, just reported earnings that easily beat Wall Street forecasts. More importantly, the numbers were not just better than the disastrous period last year, but actually topped second quarter of 2019 earnings. The firm announced its second dividend increase of the this year, and even CEO David Simon seemed surprised by the speed of the recovery. "The strategy we adopted in the height of the pandemic is playing out better than we could have expected," he told investors last week. "We kept our properties functioning. We bet on the rebound. And we're seeing the benefits of that."More Related News