UNITED STATESSECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003
SIMON PROPERTY GROUP, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
115 West Washington Street, Suite 15 EastIndianapolis, Indiana 46204 (Address of principal executive offices) (ZIP Code) (317) 636-1600 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES ý NO o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o
Indicate by check mark whether Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). YES ý NO o
The aggregate market value of shares of common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $7,163 million based on the closing sale price on the New York Stock Exchange for such stock on June 30, 2003.
As of February 12, 2004, Simon Property Group, Inc. had 200,985,130; 3,200,000 and 4,000 shares of common stock, Class B common stock and Class C common stock outstanding, respectively.
Documents Incorporated By Reference
Portions of the Registrant's Annual Report to Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Parts I, II and IV and portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement in connection with its 2004 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III.
SIMON PROPERTY GROUP, INC.Annual Report on Form 10-KDecember 31, 2003
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Part I
Item 1. Business
Background
Simon Property Group, Inc. ("Simon Property") is a Delaware corporation that operates as a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT"). Simon Property Group, L.P. (the "Operating Partnership") is a majority-owned partnership subsidiary of Simon Property that owns all but one of our real estate properties. In this report, the terms "we", "us" and "our" refer to Simon Property, the Operating Partnership and their subsidiaries.
We are engaged primarily in the ownership, operation, leasing, management, acquisition, expansion and development of real estate properties. Our real estate properties consist primarily of regional malls and community shopping centers. As of December 31, 2003, we owned or held an interest in 246 income-producing properties in North America, which consisted of 175 regional malls, 67 community shopping centers, and four office and mixed-use properties in 37 states and Canada (collectively, the "Properties", and individually, a "Property"). Mixed-use properties are properties that include a combination of retail space, office space, and/or hotel components. In addition, we also own interests in three parcels of land held for future development (together with the Properties, the "Portfolio"). Finally, we have ownership interests in 47 assets in Europe (France, Italy, Poland and Portugal).
Mergers and Acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions have been a significant component of the growth and development of our business. In 2003, we completed a series of acquisitions that added to our overall portfolio:
On October 8, 2003, we and Westfield America, Inc. ("Westfield"), the U.S. subsidiary of Westfield America Trust, withdrew our tender offer for all of the outstanding common shares of Taubman Centers, Inc. The withdrawal of the tender offer followed the enactment of a law amending the Michigan Control Share Acquisitions Act and which allowed the Taubman family group to effectively block our ability to conclude the tender offer. As a result we expensed deferred acquisition costs of $10.6 million, net, related to this acquisition during 2003.
Structural Simplification
On January 1, 2003, the Operating Partnership acquired all of the remaining equity interests of M.S. Management Associates, Inc. (the "Management Company"). The interests acquired consist of 95% of the voting common stock and 1.25% of the non-voting stock of the Management Company and approximately 2% of the economic interests of the Management Company. The interests were acquired from Melvin Simon, Herbert Simon, and David Simon (the "Simons"), for a total purchase price of $425,000, which was equal to the appraised value of the interests as determined by an independent third party. The acquisition was unanimously approved by our independent directors. As a result, the Management Company is now a wholly owned consolidated taxable REIT subsidiary ("TRS") of the Operating Partnership.
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Dispositions
As part of our strategic plan to own quality retail real estate, we continually evaluate our properties and sell those which no longer meet our strategic criteria. We may use the capital generated from these dispositions to invest in higher-quality, higher-growth properties. We believe that the sale of these non-core Properties will not have a material impact on our future results of operations or cash flows nor will their sale materially affect our ongoing operations. In addition, we expect any earnings dilution from the sales on our results of operations from these dispositions will be offset by the positive impact of our acquisitions and development and redevelopment activities.
During 2003, we sold 13 non-core Properties, consisting of seven regional malls, five community centers and one mixed-use property. The Properties and their dates of sale were:
Operating Policies and Strategies
The following is a discussion of our investment policies, financing policies, conflict of interest policies and policies with respect to certain other activities. Our Board of Directors may amend or rescind these policies from time to time at its discretion without a stockholder vote.
Investment Policies
We conduct our investment activities, except for one Property that we own directly, through the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries. Our primary business objectives are to increase Funds From Operations ("FFO") per share, operating results and the value of our Properties while maintaining a stable balance sheet consistent with our financing policies. We intend to achieve these objectives by:
We cannot assure you, however, that we will achieve our business objectives.
We develop and acquire properties to generate both current income and long-term appreciation in value. We do not have a policy limiting the amount or percentage of assets that may be invested in any particular property or type of property or in any geographic area. We may purchase or lease properties for long-term investment or develop, redevelop, and/or sell our Properties, in whole or in part, when circumstances warrant. We participate with other entities in property ownership, through joint ventures or other types of co-ownership. These equity investments may be subject to existing mortgage financing and other indebtedness that have priority over our equity interest.
While we emphasize equity real estate investments, we may, in our discretion, invest in mortgages and other real estate interests consistent with our qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code ("Code"). Mortgages in which we invest may or may not be insured by a governmental agency. We do not intend to invest to a significant extent in mortgages or deeds of trust, however, we hold an interest in one Property through a mortgage note which results in us receiving 100% of the economics of the Property. We may invest in participating or convertible mortgages, however, if we conclude that we may benefit from the cash flow or any appreciation in the value of the property.
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We may also invest in securities of other entities engaged in real estate activities or securities of other issuers. However, any of these investments would be subject to the percentage ownership limitations and gross income tests necessary for REIT qualification under the Code. These REIT limitations mean that we cannot make an investment that would cause our real estate assets to be less than 75% of our total assets. In addition, we must derive at least 75% of our gross income from "rents from real estate" and at least 95% must be derived from rents from real estate, interest, dividends and gains from the sale or disposition of stock or securities.
Subject to these REIT limitations, we may invest in the securities of other issuers in connection with acquisitions of indirect interests in real estate. Such an investment would normally be in the form of general or limited partnership or membership interests in special purpose partnerships and limited liability companies that own one or more properties. We may, in the future, acquire all or substantially all of the securities or assets of other REITs, management companies or similar entities where such investments would be consistent with our investment policies. We do not intend to invest in securities of other issuers for the purpose of exercising control other than the Operating Partnership and certain wholly-owned subsidiaries and to acquire interests in real estate. We do not intend that our investments in securities will require us to register as an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. We intend to divest securities before any such registration would be required.
Financing Policies
We must comply with the covenant restrictions of debt agreements of the Operating Partnership that limit our ratio of debt to total market valuation. For example, the Operating Partnership's lines of credit and the indentures for the Operating Partnership's debt securities contain covenants that restrict the total amount of debt of the Operating Partnership to 60% of adjusted total assets, as defined, and secured debt to 55% of adjusted total assets. In addition, these agreements contain other covenants requiring compliance with financial ratios. Furthermore, the amount of debt that we may incur is limited as a practical matter by our desire to maintain acceptable ratings for our equity securities and the debt securities of the Operating Partnership.
If the Board of Directors determines to seek additional capital, we may raise such capital through additional equity offerings, debt financing, creation of joint ventures with existing ownership interests in Properties, retention of cash flows or a combination of these methods. Our ability to retain cash flows is subject to Internal Revenue Code provisions requiring REITs to distribute a certain percentage of their taxable income. We must also take into account taxes that would be imposed on undistributed taxable income. If the Board of Directors determines to raise additional equity capital, it may, without stockholder approval, issue additional shares of common stock or other capital stock. The Board of Directors may issue a number of shares up to the amount of our authorized capital in any manner and on such terms and for such consideration as it deems appropriate. This may include issuing stock in exchange for property. Such securities may be senior to the outstanding classes of common stock. Such securities also may include additional classes of preferred stock which may be convertible into common stock. Existing stockholders will have no preemptive right to purchase shares in any subsequent offering of our securities. Any such offering could dilute a stockholder's investment in us.
We anticipate that any additional borrowings would be made through the Operating Partnership or its subsidiaries. We might, however, incur borrowings that would be reloaned to the Operating Partnership. Borrowings may be in the form of bank borrowings, publicly and privately placed debt instruments, or purchase money obligations to the sellers of properties. Any of such indebtedness may be unsecured or may be secured by any or all of our assets, the Operating Partnership or any existing or new property-owning partnership. Any such indebtedness may also have full or limited recourse to all or any portion of the assets of any of the foregoing. Although we may borrow to fund the payment of dividends, we currently have no expectation that we will regularly be required to do so.
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We may obtain unsecured or secured lines of credit. We also may determine to issue debt securities. Any such debt securities may be convertible into capital stock or be accompanied by warrants to purchase capital stock. We also may sell or securitize our lease receivables. The proceeds from any borrowings or financings may be used for the following:
We also may determine to finance acquisitions through the following:
The ability to offer units of limited partnership interest to transferors may result in beneficial tax treatment for the transferors. This is because the exchange of units for properties may defer the recognition of gain for tax purposes by the transferor. It may also be an advantage for us since certain investors may be limited in the number of shares of our capital stock that they may purchase.
If the Board of Directors determines to obtain additional debt financing, we intend to do so generally through mortgages on Properties, drawings against revolving lines of credit or term loan facilities, or the issuance of unsecured debt through the Operating Partnership. We may do this directly or through an entity owned or controlled by us. The mortgages may be non-recourse, recourse, or cross-collateralized. We do not have a policy limiting the number or amount of mortgages that may be placed on any particular property. Mortgage financing instruments, however, usually limit additional indebtedness on such properties.
We only invest in or form special purpose entities to obtain permanent financing for properties on attractive terms. Permanent financing for properties is typically structured as a mortgage loan on one or a group of properties in favor of an institutional third party or as a joint venture with a third party or as a securitized financing. For securitized financings, we are required to create special purpose entities to own the properties. These special purpose entities are structured so that they would not be consolidated with us in the event we would ever become subject to a bankruptcy proceeding. We decide upon the structure of the financing based upon the best terms then available to us and whether the proposed financing is consistent with our other business objectives. For accounting purposes, we include the outstanding securitized debt of special purpose entities owning consolidated properties as part of our consolidated indebtedness.
Conflict of Interest Policies
We maintain policies and have entered into agreements designed to reduce or eliminate potential conflicts of interest. In 2003, we adopted governance principles governing our affairs and the Board of Directors, as well as written charters for each of the standing Committees of the Board of Directors. In addition, in 2003, the Board adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics which apply to all of our officers, directors, and employees. At least a majority of the members of our Board of Directors must qualify as independent under the listing standards for New York Stock Exchange companies and cannot be affiliated with the Simon and DeBartolo families. Any transaction between us and the Simons or the DeBartolos, including property acquisitions, service and property management agreements and retail space leases, must be approved by a majority of non-affiliated directors.
The sale by the Operating Partnership of any property that it owns may have an adverse tax impact on the Simons or the DeBartolos and the other limited partners of the Operating Partnership. In order to avoid any conflict of interest between Simon Property and the limited partners of the Operating Partnership, our charter requires that at least six of our independent directors must authorize and require the Operating Partnership to sell any property it owns. Any such sale is subject to applicable agreements with third parties. Noncompetition agreements executed by
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each of the Simons contain covenants limiting the ability of the Simons to participate in certain shopping center activities in North America.
Policies With Respect To Certain Other Activities
We do not intend to make investments other than as previously described. We intend to make investments which are consistent with the REIT requirements of the Code, unless the Board of Directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT. The Board of Directors may make such a determination because of changing circumstances or changes in the REIT requirements. We have authority to offer shares of our capital stock or other securities in exchange for property. We also have authority to repurchase or otherwise reacquire our shares or any other securities. We may engage in such activities in the future. We may in the future issue shares of our common stock to holders of units of limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership upon exercise of such holders' rights under the Operating Partnership agreement. We have not made loans to other entities or persons, including our officers and directors. It is now our policy to not make any loans to our directors and executive officers for any purpose and all loans previously made to current executive officers have been repaid in full. We may in the future make loans to the Management Company and to joint ventures in which we participate. We do not intend to engage in the following:
Operating Strategies
We plan to achieve our primary business objectives through a variety of methods discussed below, although we cannot assure you that we will achieve such objectives.
Leasing. We pursue a leasing strategy that includes:
Management. We draw upon our expertise gained through management of a geographically diverse Portfolio, nationally recognized as comprising high quality retail and mixed-use Properties. In doing so, we seek to maximize cash flow through a combination of:
We believe that if we are successful in our efforts to increase sales while controlling operating expenses we will be able to continue to increase base rents at the Properties.
We manage substantially all our Properties held as joint venture Properties and as a result we derive revenues from management fees and other fee revenues.
Other Revenues. Due to our size, tenant and vendor relationships, we also generate revenues from other sources, including:
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We also generate other revenues through the sale of land adjacent to our Properties commonly referred to as "outlots" or "outparcels." We create value in these outparcels through the operating performance of our Properties and replenish the inventory of these parcels by the development of new Properties and the redevelopment of existing or acquired Properties.
International Expansion. Our investments in Europe are currently conducted through two joint ventures, GCI and European Retail Enterprises, B.V. ("ERE"). We do not derive any significant consolidated revenues from European activities since our investments are held through joint ventures and therefore are accounted for under the equity method as defined by accounting policies generally accepted in the United States.
We believe that the expertise we have gained through the development, leasing, management, and marketing of our domestic Properties can be utilized in retail properties abroad. We may pursue additional international opportunities to enhance shareholder value under the right circumstances. There are risks inherent in international operations that may be beyond our control. These include the following risks that may have a negative impact on our results of operations:
Competition
We consider our principal competitors to be seven other major United States or internationally publicly-held, companies that own or operate regional malls in the United States. We also compete with many commercial developers, real estate companies and other owners of retail real estate that operate in our trade areas. Some of our Properties are of the same type and are within the same market area as other competitive properties. The existence of competitive properties could have a material adverse effect on our ability to lease space and on the level of rents we can obtain. This results in competition for both the acquisition of prime sites (including land for development and operating properties) and for tenants to occupy the space that we and our competitors develop and manage. In addition, our malls compete against non-physical based forms of retailing such as catalog companies and e-commerce websites that offer similar retail products.
We believe that our Portfolio is the largest, as measured by gross leasable area ("GLA"), of any publicly-traded retail REIT. In addition, we own more regional malls than any other publicly-traded REIT. We believe that we have a competitive advantage in the retail real estate business as a result of:
Our size has allowed us to reduce dependence upon individual retail tenants. More than 3,800 different retailers occupy more than 20,800 stores in our Properties and no retail tenant represents more than 4.6% of our Properties' total minimum rents.
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Environmental Matters
General Compliance. We believe that the Portfolio is in compliance, in all material respects, with all Federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations regarding hazardous or toxic substances. Nearly all of the Portfolio has been subjected to Phase I or similar environmental audits (which generally involve only a review of records and visual inspection of the property without soil sampling or ground water analysis) by independent environmental consultants. Phase I environmental audits are intended to discover information regarding, and to evaluate the environmental condition of, the surveyed properties and surrounding properties. These environmental audits have not revealed, nor are we aware of, any environmental liability that we believe will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. We cannot assure you that:
Asbestos-Containing Materials. Asbestos-containing materials are present in most of the Properties, primarily in the form of vinyl asbestos tile, mastics and roofing materials, which we believe are generally in good condition. Fireproofing and insulation containing asbestos is also present in certain Properties in limited concentrations or in limited areas. The presence of such asbestos-containing materials does not violate currently applicable laws. Generally, we remove asbestos-containing materials as required in the ordinary course of any renovation, reconstruction, or expansion, and in connection with the retenanting of space.
Underground Storage Tanks. Several of the Properties contain, or at one time contained, underground storage tanks used to store waste oils or other petroleum products primarily related to auto service center establishments or emergency electrical generation equipment. We believe that regulated tanks have been removed, upgraded or abandoned in accordance with applicable environmental laws. Site assessments have revealed certain soil and groundwater contamination associated with such tanks at some of these Properties. Subsurface investigations (Phase II assessments) and remediation activities are either completed, ongoing, or scheduled to be conducted at such Properties. The costs of remediation with respect to such matters has not been material and we do not expect these costs will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Properties to be Developed or Acquired. Land held for mall development or that may be acquired for development may contain residues or debris associated with the use of the land by prior owners or third parties. In certain instances, such residues or debris could be or contain hazardous wastes or hazardous substances. Prior to exercising any option to acquire properties, we typically conduct environmental due diligence consistent with acceptable industry standards.
Certain Activities
During the past three years, we have:
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Employees
At February 9, 2004 we and our affiliates employed approximately 4,040 persons at various properties and offices throughout the United States, of which approximately 1,600 were part-time. Approximately 860 of these employees were located at our corporate headquarters.
Corporate Headquarters
Our corporate headquarters are located at National City Center, 115 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204, and our telephone number is (317) 636-1600.
Available information
Our Internet website address is www.simon.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available or may be accessed free of charge through the About Simon//Investor Relations section of our Internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Our internet website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following corporate governance documents are also available through the About Simon/Investor Relations/Corporate Governance section of our Internet website or may be obtained in print form by request of our Investor Relations Department: Governance Principles, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Audit Committee Charter, Compensation Committee Charter, Nominating Committee Charter, and Governance Committee Charter.
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Executive Officers of the Registrants
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the executive officers of Simon Property as of December 31, 2003.
Set forth below is a summary of the business experience of the executive officers of Simon Property. The executive officers of Simon Property serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. For biographical information of Melvin Simon, Herbert Simon, David Simon, Hans C. Mautner, and Richard S. Sokolov, see Item 10 of this report.
Mr. Lewis is the Executive Vice President Leasing of Simon Property. Mr. Lewis joined MSA in 1986 and held various positions with MSA and Simon Property prior to becoming Executive Vice President in charge of Leasing of Simon Property in 2002.
Mr. Sterrett serves as Simon Property's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He joined MSA in 1989 and held various positions with MSA until 1993 when he became Simon Property's Senior Vice President and Treasurer. He became Simon Property's Chief Financial Officer in 2001.
Mr. Mumphrey serves as Simon Property's Executive Vice President Property Management. He joined MSA in 1974 and also held various positions with MSA before becoming Senior Vice President of property management in 1993. In 2000, he became the President of Simon Business Network. Mr. Mumphrey became Executive Vice President Property Management in 2002.
Mr. Rulli serves as Simon Property's Executive Vice President Chief Operating Officer Operating Properties and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the majority of 2003. He joined MSA in 1988 and held various positions with MSA before becoming Simon Property's Executive Vice President in 1993 and Chief Administrative Officer in 2000. In December 2003, he was appointed to Executive Vice President Chief Operating Officer Operating Properties.
Mr. Barkley serves as Simon Property's General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. Barkley holds the same position for MSA. He joined MSA in 1978 as Assistant General Counsel for Development Activity.
Mr. Juster serves as Simon Property's Senior Vice President and Treasurer. He joined MSA in 1989 and held various financial positions with MSA until 1993 and thereafter has held various positions with Simon Property. Mr. Juster became Treasurer in 2001.
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Item 2. Properties
North American Properties
Our Properties primarily consist of regional malls and community shopping centers. Our Properties contain an aggregate of approximately 190.3 million square feet of GLA, of which we own 108.4 million square feet ("Owned GLA"). Total estimated retail sales at the Properties in 2003 were approximately $40 billion.
Regional malls generally contain two or more anchors and a wide variety of smaller stores ("Mall" stores) located in enclosed malls connecting the anchors. Additional stores ("Freestanding" stores) are usually located along the perimeter of the parking area. Our 175 regional malls range in size from approximately 200,000 to 2.9 million square feet of GLA, with all but four regional malls over 400,000 square feet. Our regional malls contain in the aggregate more than 18,500 occupied stores, including over 700 anchors, which are mostly national retailers.
Community shopping centers are generally unenclosed and smaller than regional malls. Our 67 community shopping centers generally range in size from approximately 50,000 to 950,000 square feet of GLA. Community shopping centers generally are of three types. First, we own "power centers" that are designed to serve a larger trade area and contain at least two anchors, and usually as many as 5 to 7, that are usually national retailers among the leaders in their markets and occupy more than 70% of the GLA in the center. Second, we own traditional community centers that focus primarily on value-oriented and convenience goods and services. These centers are usually anchored by a supermarket, discount retailer, or drugstore and are designed to service a neighborhood area. Finally, we also own open air centers adjacent to our regional malls designed to take advantage of the drawing power of the mall.
We also own lifestyle centers that are included in regional malls, community centers, and properties under development. These centers are typically open air centers and contain at least 50,000 square feet of GLA of specialty retail regional mall type tenants as well as restaurants.
We also have interests in four office and mixed-use Properties. The four office and mixed-use Properties range in size from approximately 496,000 to 1,214,000 square feet of GLA. Two of these Properties are regional malls with connected office buildings, and two are located in mixed-use developments and contain primarily office space.
The following table provides data as of December 31, 2003:
As of December 31, 2003, approximately 92.4% of the Mall and Freestanding Owned GLA in regional malls and the retail space in the mixed-use Properties was leased, and approximately 90.2% of Owned GLA in the community shopping centers was leased.
We own 100% of 156 of our 246 Properties, control 14 Properties in which we have a joint venture interest, and hold the remaining 76 Properties through unconsolidated joint venture interests. We are the managing or co-managing general partner or member of 235 of our Properties. Substantially all of our joint venture Properties are subject to rights of first refusal, buy-sell provisions, or other sale rights for all partners which are customary in real estate partnership agreements and the industry. Our partners in our joint ventures may initiate these provisions at any time, which will result in either the use of available cash or borrowings to acquire their partnership interest or the disposal of our partnership interest.
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SIMON PROPERTY GROUP, INC. PROPERTY TABLE North American Properties
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(Footnotes on following page)
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(Footnotes for preceding pages)
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International
The following summarizes our investments in Europe and the countries of real estate ownership and operation as of December 31, 2003:
In addition, we jointly hold with a third party an interest in one parcel of land for development near Paris, France outside of these two joint ventures. ERE also operates through a wholly-owned subsidiary Groupe BEG, S.A. ("BEG"). ERE and BEG are fully integrated European retail real estate developers, lessors and managers.
Our properties in Europe consist primarily of hypermarket anchored shopping centers. Substantially all of our European properties are anchored by either the hypermarket retailer Auchan, primarily in Italy, who is affiliated with our partner in GCI, The Rinascente Group, or are anchored by the hypermarket Carrefour in France, Poland, and Portugal. Certain of these properties are subject to leaseholds that entitle the lessor to receive substantially all the economic benefits of the portion of the property subject to the leasehold.
As of December 31, 2003, our European properties were approximately 99.3% occupied. These properties contain an aggregate of approximately 8.9 million square feet of GLA, of which approximately 3.8 million square feet is Owned GLA.
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SIMON PROPERTY GROUP, INC. PROPERTY TABLE European Properties
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FOOTNOTES:
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Land Held for Development
We have direct or indirect ownership interests in three parcels of land held for future development, containing an aggregate of approximately 275 acres located in three states.
Mortgage Financing on Properties
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the mortgages and other debt encumbering the Properties. Substantially all of the mortgage and property related debt is nonrecourse to us.
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MORTGAGE AND OTHER DEBT ON PORTFOLIO PROPERTIES As of December 31, 2003 (Dollars in thousands)
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Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Triple Five of Minnesota, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, v. Melvin Simon, et. al. On or about November 9, 1999, Triple Five of Minnesota, Inc. commenced an action in the District Court for the State of Minnesota, Fourth Judicial District, against, among others, Mall of America, certain members of the Simon family and entities allegedly controlled by such individuals, and us. The action was later removed to federal court. Two transactions form the basis of the complaint: (i) the sale by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America of one-half of its partnership interest in Mall of America Company and Minntertainment Company to the Operating Partnership and related entities; and (ii) a financing transaction involving a loan in the amount of $312.0 million obtained from The Chase Manhattan Bank that is secured by a mortgage placed on Mall of America's assets. The complaint, which contains twelve counts, seeks remedies of unspecified damages, rescission, constructive trust, accounting, and specific performance. Although the complaint names all defendants in several counts, we are specifically identified as a defendant in connection with the sale by Teachers. On August 12, 2002, the court granted in part and denied in part motions for partial summary judgment filed by the parties.
Trial on all of the equitable claims in this matter began June 2, 2003. On September 10, 2003, the court issued its decision in a Memorandum and Order (the "Order"). In the Order, the court found that certain entities and individuals, breached their fiduciary duties to Triple Five. The court did not award Triple Five damages but instead awarded Triple Five equitable and other relief and imposed a constructive trust on that portion of the Mall of America owned by us. Specifically, as it relates to us, the court ordered that Triple Five was entitled to purchase from us the one-half partnership interest that we purchased from Teachers in October 1999, provided Triple Five remits to us the sum of $81.38 million within nine months of the Order. The court further held that we must disgorge all net profits that we received as a result of our ownership interest in the Mall from October 1999 to the present. The court has appointed a Special Master to determine net profits. The court also held that the current day-to-day management of the Mall remains unchanged unless and until Triple Five purchases our interest in the Mall.
We disagree with many aspects of the Order and have appealed the Order to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. We are currently working with the Special Master appointed by the court. It is not possible to provide an assurance of the ultimate outcome of the litigation.
As a result of the Order, we recorded a $6.0 million loss that is included in "Gain (loss) on sales of assets and other, net" in the accompanying statements of operations and comprehensive income, reflecting our estimate of the financial impact to us from complying with the Order and we have ceased recording any contribution to either net income or Funds from Operations ("FFO") from Mall of America.
We are currently not subject to any other material litigation other than routine litigation, claims and administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We believe that such routine litigation, claims and administrative proceedings will not have a material adverse impact on our financial position or our results of operations.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None.
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Part II
Item 5. Market for the Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters
Market Information
Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SPG". The quarterly price range on the NYSE for the shares and the distributions declared per share for each quarter in the last two fiscal years are shown below:
There is no established public trading market for Simon Property's Class B common stock or Class C common stock. Distributions per share of the Class B and Class C common stock are identical to the common stock.
Holders
The number of holders of record of common stock outstanding was 2,239 as of February 12, 2004. The Class B common stock is held entirely by a voting trust to which Melvin Simon, Herbert Simon, David Simon and certain of their affiliates are parties and is exchangeable on a one-for-one basis into shares of common stock, and the Class C common stock is held entirely by NID Corporation, the successor corporation of Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, and is also exchangeable on a one-for-one basis into shares of common stock.
Distributions
Simon Property qualifies as a REIT under the Code. To maintain our status as a REIT, we are required each year to distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our taxable income after certain adjustments. Future distributions are determined in the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our actual cash flow, financial condition, capital requirements, the annual REIT distribution requirements and such other factors as our Board of Directors deem relevant.
Simon Property offers an Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan for its common shares that allows shareholders, at their election, to acquire additional shares by automatically reinvesting cash dividends. Shares are acquired pursuant to the plan at a price equal to the prevailing market price of such shares, without payment of any brokerage commission or service charge.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
We issued 3,328,540 shares of Series H Variable Rate Preferred Stock on December 15, 2003 to a single institutional investor for cash proceeds in the amount of $83.2 million. We used a portion of the proceeds to fund the redemption of our 6.5% Series B Convertible Preferred Stock which were called for redemption on December 15, 2003. The Series H Preferred Stock was not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in reliance upon the exemption contained in Section 4(2) regarding private transactions.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Selected Financial Data section of the 2003 Annual Report to Shareholders filed as Exhibit 13.1 to this Form 10-K.
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Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section of the 2003 Annual Report to Shareholders filed as Exhibit 13.1 to this Form 10-K.
Item 7A. Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosure About Market Risk
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section of the 2003 Annual Report to Shareholders under the caption "Liquidity and Capital ResourcesMarket Risk", filed as Exhibit 13.1 to this Form 10-K.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Reference is made to the Index to Financial Statements contained in Item 15.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. We carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with participation of management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15. Based upon that evaluation, our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as that date.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f)) that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2003 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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Part III
Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to Simon Property's definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A and the information included under the caption "Executive Officers of the Registrants" in Part I hereof.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to Simon Property's definitive Proxy Statement for its annual meeting of shareholders to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statements, Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K
Simon Property Group, Inc.'s financial statements and independent auditors' reports are incorporated herein by reference to the financial statements and independent auditors' reports in the 2003 Annual Report to Shareholders, filed as Exhibit 13.1 to this Form 10-K.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
March 12, 2004
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS ON SCHEDULE
To the Board of Directors ofSimon Property Group, Inc.:
We have audited the consolidated financial statements of Simon Property Group, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2003, and for the year then ended, and have issued our report thereon dated February 5, 2004 (included elsewhere in this Form 10-K). Our audit also included the accompanying "Schedule III: Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation" as of December 31, 2003, for Simon Property Group, Inc. This schedule is the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our audit.
In our opinion, the financial statement schedule referred to above, when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.
ERNST & YOUNG LLP
Indianapolis, IndianaFebruary 5, 2004
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SCHEDULE III
SIMON PROPERTY GROUP, INC. REAL ESTATE AND ACCUMULATED DEPRECIATIONDecember 31, 2003(Dollars in thousands)
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SIMON PROPERTY GROUP, INC.NOTES TO SCHEDULE III AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2003(Dollars in thousands)
(1) Reconciliation of Real Estate Properties:
The changes in real estate assets for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001 are as follows:
The unaudited aggregate cost of real estate assets for federal income tax purposes as of December 31, 2003 was $10,740,729.
(2) Reconciliation of Accumulated Depreciation:
The changes in accumulated depreciation and amortization for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001 are as follows:
Depreciation of Simon Property's investment in buildings and improvements reflected in the statements of operations is calculated over the estimated original lives of the assets as follows:
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
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