Quarterlytics / Real Estate / REIT - Retail / The Macerich Company

The Macerich Company

mac · NYSE Real Estate
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Ticker mac
Exchange NYSE
Sector Real Estate
Industry REIT - Retail
Employees 501-1000
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FY2018 Annual Report · The Macerich Company
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  2 0 1 8   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   |   F O R M   1 0 - K

F I N A NC I A L  H IG H L IG H T S

All amounts in thousands, except for share data and per square foot amounts.

Operating Data

Total Revenues

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$960,351

$993,662

$1,041,271

$1,288,149

$1,105,247

Shopping center and operating expenses

$277,470

$295,190

$307,623

$379,815

$353,505

Management companies' operating expenses

$103,534

$100,121

$98,323

$92,340

$88,424

REIT general and administrative expenses

$24,160

$28,240

$28,217

$29,870

$29,412

(Loss) gain on remeasurement, sale or write down of assets, net

($31,825)

$42,446

$415,348

$400,337

$1,496,576

Net income attributable to the Company

$60,020

$146,130

$516,995

$487,562

$1,499,042

Net income per share attributable to common stockholders - diluted

Other Data

Regional shopping centers portfolio occupancy

Regional shopping centers portfolio sales per square foot

Distributions declared per common share

Balance Sheet Data

$0.42

2018

95.4%

$726

$2.97

2018

$1.02

2017

95.0%

$660

$2.87

2017

$3.52

2016

95.4%

$630

$2.75

2016

$3.08 

2015

96.1%

$635

$6.63

2015

$10.45 

2014

95.8%

$587

$2.51

2014

Investment in real estate (before accumulated depreciation)

$8,878,820

$9,127,533

$9,209,211 $10,689,656

$12,777,882

Total assets

$9,026,808

$9,605,862

$9,958,148 $11,235,584

$13,094,948

Total mortgage and notes payable

$4,982,460

$5,170,264

$4,965,900

$5,260,750

$6,265,570

Equity

$3,188,432

$3,967,999

$4,427,168

$5,071,239

$6,039,849

Common shares outstanding

 141,221,712  140,993,985  143,985,036  154,404,986  158,201,996

See “Item 6 - Selected Financial Data” in our Form 10-K included herein for additional information regarding the data presented in this table. See our 
Company’s forward-looking statements disclosure under “Important Factors Related to Forward-Looking Statements” in our Form 10-K included herein.

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     3

DEAR FELLOW
STOCKHOLDERS:

Macerich  continues 
from  our  multi-year 
to  benefit 
disposition  strategy  to  elevate  the  quality  of  the  portfolio. 
The company’s top 40 assets now generate annual sales of 
$753 per square foot and are forecast to produce 96% of 
our portfolio net operating income in 2019, and Macerich’s 
top  10  assets  generate  annual  sales  in  excess  of  $1,200 
per square foot. 

fallout 

retailer 

stemming 

continued 

Despite 
from 
unprecedented  bankruptcies  in  2017,  same  center  net 
operating  income  growth  in  2018  was  2.2%,  including 
4.0%  growth  during  the  second  half  of  the  year.  We 
continue to improve portfolio profitability, as demonstrated 
by continued improvement in EBITDA margins from 59.0% in 
2014 to 62.8% in 2018.

With today’s fast-changing expectations about the breadth 
of  experiences  the  best  retail  centers  should  deliver  – 
alongside  the  necessary  shakeout  of  retailers  that  haven’t 
made  the  grade  –  being  an  A  property  in  an  A  market 
has  never  been  more  important.  Quality  has  never  been 
more essential. That’s the calculation of successful retailers, 
marketing-intensive  consumer  brands,  investors  and,  of 
course, shoppers. 

And all of that is good for Macerich. 

Our  high-performing  portfolio  of  dominant  properties 
in  densely  populated,  attractive  U.S.  markets  positions 
Macerich to make the most of this continuing migration to 
quality that is shaping every facet of our industry. 

Within this dynamic environment, Macerich in 2018 posted 
solid operating results. For 2018, portfolio sales ended the 
year at $726 per square foot, up 10% for the year. Portfolio 
occupancy at year-end was near an all-time high of 95.4%, 
up 40 basis points year over year. Average base rents grew 
3.7% during 2018, average releasing spreads were 11.1%, 
and total leasing activity for the year included 825 executed 
agreements for a total of more than 3 million square feet. 

2

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     5

STRENGTHS IN THE 
BROADER LEASING 
ENVIRONMENT 

From our vantage point as an owner of some of the nation’s highest-performing properties, we continue to realize outsized 
advantages in today’s leasing environment. Retail supply consolidation strengthens the competitive position for owners of 
highly coveted Class A retail situated in the best locations. It is these locations that will thrive as lesser quality retail assets 
continue to deteriorate and, in many cases, become obsolete from lack of retailer demand. The opposite is true for top malls: 
We believe Macerich will continue to be the beneficiary of what has become an accelerated pace of shrinkage in U.S. 
brick-and-mortar retail supply. 

4

NOW A MIXED-USE URBAN HUB, TYSONS CORNER CENTER JUST OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, D.C., 
 IS CONSISTENTLY ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S HIGHEST-PERFORMING RETAIL DESTINATIONS. 

Just  as  all  malls  are  not  created  equal,  not  all  retailers 
have  equal  footing  in  today’s  market.  Many  brands  have 
successfully positioned themselves for ongoing relevance by 
effectively adapting their merchandise mix, providing great 
service, integrating technology and interactivity into their in-
store experience, and locating within the right markets with 
the proper number of stores. Many of the better retailers are 
also now developing and introducing brand extensions. 

Brands  hitting  on  all  cylinders  include  familiar  names  like 
Lululemon,  which  is  introducing  in-store  yoga  classes. 
Or  Abercrombie  &  Fitch  that  features  interactive  dressing 
rooms  and  has  retooled  its  apparel  away  from  “all  logos 
all the time” in step with their shoppers. Or Sephora, that’s 
all  about  complimentary  makeovers,  and  enthusiastic  and 
knowledgeable salespeople who make it fun and easy to 
try more, and buy more, new products. There is a long list 

of on-target retailers – from Apple and American Eagle to 
Hollister,  Vans  and  more  –  that  are  connecting  with  their 
shoppers at our properties in new and exciting ways. 

There  also  is  tremendous  energy  in  emerging  concepts, 
including  more  destination  dining,  more  health,  wellness 
and  beauty  concepts,  new  coworking  spaces,  more 
there  are  other 
entertainment,  more  art. 
Instagrammable  experiences, 
ticketed 
attractions that change frequently and drive attention and 
traffic.  Of  course,  our  properties  are  top  choices  in  the 
continued  move  to  offline  retail  among  maturing,  online-
born retail concepts. 

including  new 

In  addition 

A  quick  look  at  a  few  of  our  leasing  wins  in  2018 
demonstrates  how  our  top  retail  assets  continue  to  thrive 
with experience-forward ideas: Nordstrom at Country Club 
Plaza, Nobu, Equinox and Industrious at Scottsdale Fashion 

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     7

publicized  example,  2019  has  commenced  with  several 
bankruptcies  and  pending  store  closures  from  similarly 
situated concepts that have long been on our watch list. 

For us, the key point to underscore is that retail is fast evolving 
and  thriving,  even  as  some  individual  retailers  are  not. 
The  failure  of  long-troubled  retailers  is  not  a  failure  of  the 
physical retail environment. Strong sales, occupancy, traffic 
and retailer demand within our portfolio prove otherwise. 

Square,  Dick’s  Sporting  Goods  and  Round1  at  Deptford 
Mall,  Dave  &  Buster’s  at  Vintage  Faire,  Life  Time  Athletic 
at Broadway Plaza and Crayola Experience at Chandler 
Fashion Center.  Of particular interest, the evolution of our 
award-winning  Santa  Monica  Place  as  a  destination  for 
exciting  experiences  continues  with  this  summer’s  opening 
of the new, larger location for Cayton Children’s Museum, 
a top draw for families in West LA. 

Conversely,  the  industry  continues  to  experience  the 
expected demise of certain legacy retailers that have failed 
to  properly  invest  and  evolve  to  meet  the  needs  of  the 
modern consumer, primarily due to over-leveraged financial 
positions.  While  the  Sears  bankruptcy  is  the  most  widely 

6

DEBUTING IN 2020, FIRST-TO-MARKET LUXURY FITNESS CONCEPT EQUINOX  
IS AN EXPERIENCE-FORWARD NEW ELEMENT AT SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE.

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     9

LONG-TERM VALUE 
CREATION THROUGH 
REDEVELOPMENT  

Macerich  has  a  long  and  distinguished  track  record 
of  successfully  redeveloping  and  repositioning  trophy 
properties  in  outstanding  markets  to  deliver  even  more 
value.  Recent  closures  of  Sears  stores  in  our  portfolio  will 
allow us to execute on important, long-term value-creating 
opportunities in some of our best properties. 

Primark  and  Zara,  both  new  to  the  Brooklyn  market,  and 
Burlington  and  JCPenney.  These  four  new  retailers  are 
expected  to  generate  a  combined  400%  increase  over 
Sears’  volume.  This  has  significantly  improved  retailer 
demand throughout Kings Plaza, which we expect will result 
in healthy growth opportunities for many years to come.  

As always, our approach to delivering value will be highly 
specific  to  each  property,  whether  optimal  use  involves 
repurposing  the  space  for  other,  extremely  active  large-
format concepts – such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, 
Ulta  Beauty,  Aldi,  Burlington,  Round1,  Dave  and  Buster’s, 
Five Below or others – or demolishing the boxes for broader 
redevelopment. 

We  are  bullish  on  opportunities  for  densification  and 
diversification,  including  at  dominant  flagships  such  as 
Los  Cerritos  Center  and  Washington  Square.  Our  highly 
successful  mixed-use  project  at  Tysons  Corner  Center, 
complete with offices, residences and a hotel, is a blueprint 
for the kind of energy-filled, urban hub we excel at creating. 
As  we  did  at  Tysons,  Macerich  will  explore  partnerships 
with  best-in-class  developers  to  ensure  the  exceptional 
quality we are known for. 

TWO FOR TWO IN 2018 
Successful 
two  different 
properties  in  2018  exemplify  our  flexible  and  proven 
strategies for driving value.

redevelopment  projects  at 

Kings  Plaza,  the  only  enclosed  mall  in  Brooklyn,  is  the 
latest example of our ability to replace an underperforming 
department  store  with  vastly  more  relevant  and  better 
performing retailers. In summer 2018, Macerich completed 
its redevelopment of the former four-level Sears store with 

At  Scottsdale  Fashion  Square,  Arizona’s  dominant  luxury 
property,  targeted  redevelopment  continues  to  attract  the 
best  retail  and  dining  names  and  a  range  of  in-demand 
experiences.  The  80,000  square-foot  exterior  expansion 
is  100%  leased  with  first-to-market,  high-end  restaurants, 
including Nobu and Ocean 44, and Arizona’s first and only 
Equinox fitness club. In 2018, we successfully repurposed 
the  former  Barneys  location  into  a  stunning,  two-level 
Apple  flagship,  which  features  extensive  experiential  and 
educational elements. Here, we also opened a beautifully 
designed  location  for  Industrious,  a  premium  national 
coworking concept, which enjoyed the best opening-day 
occupancy in the company’s history. Together, Apple and 
Industrious will generate substantially more traffic and sales 
than the previous 60,000 square-foot Barneys box. 

Late  last  year,  we  also  debuted  a  newly  renovated  and 
strategically re-tenanted luxury wing at Scottsdale Fashion 
Square with an exciting lineup of new and newly renovated 
retailers.  These  include  Arizona’s  first  Saint  Laurent,  plus 
Gucci,  Prada,  Louis  Vuitton,  Cartier,  Breitling,  Omega, 
St.  John,  Salvatore  Ferragamo  and  many  other  powerful 
brands.  And  there’s  more  to  come  as  we  continue  to 
densify and add value to this preeminent property. Already 
announced  is  Caesars  Republic  Scottsdale,  a  266-room, 
first-of-its-kind,  non-gaming  hotel  flag  from  the  Caesars 
Entertainment brand targeting their top clientele worldwide. 

A SWEEPING NEW, TWO-STORY ENTRANCE WELCOMES GUESTS TO THE  
NEWLY ELEVATED LUXURY WING AT SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE.

8

2019 AND BEYOND

Looking  forward,  we  are  anticipating  the  fall  opening  of 
Fashion District Philadelphia, a four-level, 800,000 square-
foot  retail,  dining  and  entertainment  hub  spanning  several 
city blocks in the heart of visitor- and office-rich Center City. 
Already,  this  high-profile  property  –  a  joint  venture  with 
PREIT  –  is  85%  committed  with  notable  tenants  including 
Century  21,  Burlington,  H&M,  Nike,  Ulta  Beauty,  AMC 
Theatres, Round1 and City Winery. 

Progress  also  continues  on  Los  Angeles  Premium  Outlets, 
our newest ground-up development, in 50-50 partnership 
with  Simon.  This  new  property  will  take  advantage  of  its 
outstanding location where the 405 and 110 freeways meet, 
just 11 miles from LAX. The project is set to be delivered in 
two phases, with the first 400,000 square feet expected to 
open in fall 2021. 

Also  fueling  our  future  growth,  Macerich  formed  a  joint 
venture in 2018 with Hudson Pacific Properties in Westside 
Pavilion, now known as One Westside, in which we retained 
a 25% ownership stake. Google recently signed a lease as 
the sole occupant for approximately 600,000 square feet 
of  Class  A  creative  office  space,  providing  an  expected 
8%  return  on  this  project  with  an  anticipated  third  quarter 
opening  in  2022.  The  majority  of  the  property  is  now 
closed, and construction led by our partner is expected to 
commence later in 2019.

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     11

10

SLATED TO OPEN FALL 2019, FASHION DISTRICT PHILADELPHIA CREATES AN IMMERSIVE, METROPOLITAN  
SHOPPING, DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA.

LEADERSHIP IN  
SUSTAINABILITY

Macerich has an illustrious record as our industry’s leader 
for  environmental  achievements.  In  2018,  Macerich  was 
awarded the National Association of Real Estate Investment 
Trusts (Nareit) Retail “Leader in the Light” for a remarkable 
fifth year in a row. As well, last year Macerich achieved 
two other important measures of sustainability leadership, 
both for the fourth year in a row: GRESB’s #1 ranking in 
the North American Retail Sector for 2018, and a place 
on  the  Environmental  Protection  Agency’s  Green  Power 
Partnership list of Top 30 On-Site Generation companies. 

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     13

Also of note, last year our company’s major redevelopment 
of  Broadway  Plaza  in  Walnut  Creek,  CA,  earned  the 
demanding  LEED  Gold®  certification  awarded  by  the 
U.S. Green Building Council. 

12

THE KINGS PLAZA STANDALONE POWER PLANT WILL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CONNECT TO THE REGIONAL  
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, PROVIDING CRITICAL BACK-UP POWER TO NEW YORK CITY’S ELECTRICAL GRID.

MARKING 
25 YEARSThis milestone also gives us a fitting moment to recognize 

This March we marked a significant milestone for Macerich 
– 25 years of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. 
We  have  accomplished  a  great  deal  since  our  debut 
as a public company in 1994, when we had a modest 
total market cap of approximately $536 million. Today, 
our market cap exceeds $14 billion, and we have been 
a  component  of  the  S&P  500  since  2013.  We’ve  built 
outstanding  destinations  and  continue  to  perfect  the 
iconic  properties  that  help  define  our  portfolio.  We’ve 
supported new retail brands as they emerge into success, 
and watched some storied retailers come to an end. This is 
how the best retail real estate, including ours, evolves and 
intensifies value over time.

and  thank  Art  Coppola  for  his  strategic  leadership  as 
CEO of our company throughout these important years of 
achievement and growth. As many of you know, our current 
C-suite has long worked together, including Ed Coppola, 
Scott  Kingsmore,  Ken  Volk  and  Doug  Healey,  further 
complemented by our recent addition of Ann Menard as 
our Chief Legal Officer. With our deep bench of executive 
talent, we prioritize steady leadership and continuity, along 
with fresh ideas, a highly competitive spirit and a vision for 
Macerich’s future built on adding value.

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     15

This strategic vision is focused on portfolio densification 
and diversification. We operate and invest for the long 
term – and our business needs to be strategically planned 
and managed for the long term. We think this is a critical 
distinction  that  must  be  emphasized,  given  the  retail 
headwinds our industry has faced since 2017 and continues 
to  face  today.  We  continue  to  experience  short-term 
occupancy disruption as certain legacy retailers, both small 
format and department stores, have become and continue 
to become obsolete. While we continue to mitigate and 
counter these issues, we believe all of this is due to secular 
change in the retail space, which is creating a generational 
opportunity for our assets and for our company. Looking 
ahead, we have many exciting opportunities to pursue, 
even as the larger economy and our own sector continue 

to navigate change. We are ready, thanks in great measure 
to the positioning of our high-performing portfolio that is 
uniquely in sync with the flight to quality across our industry. 

We  are  grateful  for  the  support  of  Macerich’s  Board 
of  Directors  and  our  stakeholders,  the  capabilities  and 
commitment  of  our  teams,  the  continued  partnership  of 
successful retailers and brands, and the communities that 
embrace our properties as a key part of their lives.

Sincerely,

Thomas E. O’Hern
Chief Executive Officer

Steven R. Hash
Independent Chairman of the Board

14

A BRAND NEW APPLE FLAGSHIP STORE AND PREMIUM COWORKING CONCEPT INDUSTRIOUS  
BRING ALL-DAY ENERGY TO A FORMER BARNEYS BOX AT SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE.

SA L E S PE R  SQUA R E  F OOT

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

$587

$635

$630

$660

PE RC E N T  OF  P ORT F OL IO N E T OPE R AT I NG  I NC OM E   
FROM TOP 40 REGIONAL SHOPPING CENTERS

2012 Actual

2019 Forecast

74%

96%

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     17

AV E R AG E BA SE R E N T

$54.32

$54.87

$51.15

$59.09

$56.97

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

$726

OCC U PA NC Y AT Y E A R - E N D

DI V I DE N DS PA I D

95.8%

96.1%

95.4%

95.4%

95.0%

$2.63

$2.51

$2.75

$2.87

$2.97

$2.00

$2.00

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

SPECIAL DIVIDEND

16

LOCATED WHERE TWO MA JOR FREEWAYS MEET, JUST 11 MILES FROM LAX, THE NEW  
LOS ANGELES PREMIUM OUTLETS IS EXPECTED TO OPEN IN PHASES BEGINNING FALL 2021.

DIRECTORS

Steven R. Hash 
Chairman of the Board 

Thomas E. O’Hern 
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Peggy M. Alford 
Director 

John H. Alschuler 
Director

Eric K. Brandt 
Director

Edward C. Coppola 
President and Director

Daniel J. Hirsch 
Director

Diana M. Laing 
Director

Steven L. Soboroff 
Director

Andrea M. Stephen 
Director

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Thomas E. O’Hern 
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Edward C. Coppola 
President and Director

Doug J. Healey 
Executive Vice President, Leasing

Scott W. Kingsmore 
Executive Vice President,  
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Ann C. Menard 
Executive Vice President,  
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Kenneth L. Volk 
Executive Vice President, Business Development

2 018   A N N U A L   R E P O R T     |     19

CORPORATE 
INFORMATION

Stock Exchange Listing 
New York Stock Exchange 
Symbol: MAC 
The common stock of the Company is listed and traded on 
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MAC.” 
The common stock began trading on March 10, 1994 at 
a price of $19 per share. In 2018, the Company’s shares 
traded at a high of $69.73 and a low of $40.90.

As of February 21, 2019, there were 507 Stockholders 
of record.  The following table shows high and low sales 
prices of common stock during each quarter in 2017 and 
2018 and dividends per share of common stock declared 
and paid per quarter.

Quarter Ended

High

Low

Market Quotation 
per Share

Dividends 
Declared 
Paid

March 31, 2017

$73.34 

$62.14 

$0.71

June 30, 2017

$67.18 

$56.06 

$0.71 

September 30, 2017

$61.55 

$52.12 

$0.71 

December 31, 2017

$67.53 

$52.45 

$0.74 

March 31, 2018

$69.73 

$54.35 

$0.74 

June 30, 2018

$60.00 

$53.55 

$0.74 

September 30, 2018

$60.95 

$54.36 

$0.74 

December 31, 2018

$55.54 

$40.90 

$0.75 

Independent Auditor 
KPMG LLP 
Los Angeles, California

Transfer Agent 
Computershare 
P.O. Box 30170 
College Station, Texas 77842-3170 
www.computershare.com

Macerich Website 
For an electronic version of this annual report, our SEC 
filings and documents relating to corporate governance, 
please visit www.macerich.com

Corporate Headquarters 
401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700 
Santa Monica, California 90401 
310.394.6000

Dividend Reinvestment Plan 
Stockholders may automatically reinvest their dividends 
in additional common stock of the Company through 
the Direct Investment Program, which also provides 
for purchase by voluntary cash contributions. For 
additional information, please contact Computershare at 
877.373.6374.

18

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