You’ve probably seen the name. Maybe on a towering sign off the interstate or a sleek glass door at your local mall. Simon. It’s synonymous with American shopping. But if you’re looking for a single person sitting in a mahogany office "owning" the whole thing, you’re about a few decades too late for that version of the story.
Honestly, the answer to who is the owner of simon malls depends on whether you're looking for the name on the stock certificate or the person who actually steers the ship.
Today, Simon Property Group (SPG) is a massive, publicly traded S&P 100 company. It isn't a private fiefdom anymore. If you have a 401(k) or an index fund, there’s a decent chance you own a microscopic sliver of it yourself.
The Vanguard and BlackRock Reality
When you dig into the SEC filings from early 2026, the biggest "owners" aren't people. They’re institutions. Giant investment firms like The Vanguard Group and BlackRock hold the lion's share of the stock.
Vanguard alone sits on about 14% of the company. BlackRock isn't far behind with roughly 11%. These firms manage money for millions of regular people. So, in a very literal, technical sense, the "owner" is the public market.
But institutions don't decide which malls get a Cheesecake Factory or which ones get turned into luxury apartments. For that, you have to look at the family name that started it all.
The Simon Family: Legacy vs. Control
The company was started back in 1960 by brothers Melvin and Herbert Simon. They were the original "owners" in every sense of the word. They built the first strip centers in Indianapolis and eventually scaled up to the mega-malls we see today.
Melvin passed away in 2009. Herbert Simon, now in his 90s, officially retired as Chairman Emeritus in February 2025. He’s still a legend in the industry and keeps a hand in things, but the day-to-day power shifted a long time ago to Melvin’s son: David Simon.
Is David Simon the owner?
Not exactly, but he’s the closest thing to it. David is the Chairman, CEO, and President. As of late 2025, he remains the largest individual shareholder. He owns about 5.6% of the company.
That might sound like a small number compared to Vanguard’s 14%, but in the world of high-finance REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), 5.6% is massive. It gives him a level of "skin in the game" that most corporate CEOs just don't have.
He’s been the boss since 1995. Think about that. He’s navigated the rise of Amazon, the 2008 crash, and a global pandemic that literally forced his malls to lock their doors.
What the "Owner" Actually Does Now
The job of the owner of simon malls—or the person acting like it—has changed. It’s no longer just about collecting rent.
David Simon has turned the company into a bit of a hybrid. They don't just own the buildings; they've started buying the stores inside the buildings.
- SPARC Group: This is a joint venture Simon uses to buy brands.
- The Portfolio: They own or have stakes in Forever 21, Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, and Nautica.
- The Logic: If a major tenant goes bankrupt, it leaves a hole in the mall. By buying the brand, Simon keeps the store open, keeps the foot traffic coming, and keeps the rent flowing back to themselves. It's a "circular economy" move that was considered crazy ten years ago but looks pretty smart now.
The 2026 Portfolio: Beyond Just Malls
If you look at the company's holdings today, it's not just "malls" anymore. They’ve been aggressively moving into what they call "mixed-use" properties.
Take a look at their 2025-2026 projects in places like Miami or California. They are adding high-end apartments and hotels directly onto mall property.
They also recently finished buying up the rest of Taubman Realty Group. This was a multi-billion dollar saga that took years to close. By doing this, Simon effectively took control of some of the most expensive, high-performing luxury malls in the country, like The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey.
How the Ownership Structure Affects You
Why should you care if Vanguard or David Simon owns the mall? Because it dictates the experience.
Because Simon is a REIT, they are legally required to pay out at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders as dividends. This means they are obsessed with "Same-Store NOI" (Net Operating Income).
If a mall isn't making money, they don't get sentimental. They sell it or reinvent it. That’s why you see Simon malls constantly getting "facelifts" with new outdoor plazas or high-tech EV charging stations—they have to keep the value of the "dirt" high to keep the institutional investors happy.
What to Watch Next
If you’re tracking the owner of simon malls for investment reasons or just because you’re a retail nerd, keep an eye on these three things:
- The Dividend Growth: In late 2025, they bumped the quarterly dividend to $2.20. If that keeps rising, it means David Simon’s "buy the brands" strategy is working.
- Occupancy Rates: They’ve been hovering around 96%. If that slips, the "owner" (whoever it is that month in the stock market) will start getting twitchy.
- International Expansion: They are doing huge business in South Korea and Japan through joint ventures. The Simon name is arguably growing faster over there than it is in the U.S.
The "owner" isn't just one person anymore. It’s a complex web of Simon family legacy, Wall Street algorithms, and David Simon’s aggressive deal-making.
To stay ahead of how this affects your local shopping center, your best bet is to monitor the Simon Property Group Investor Relations portal. They release detailed quarterly filings that show exactly which malls are being upgraded and where the next big acquisition is coming from. If you really want to see who’s in charge, read the "Schedule 14A" proxy statements; they list every major shareholder and exactly how much power they wield at the annual meetings.