Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, CBL Properties owns and manages a national portfolio of market-dominant properties located in dynamic and growing communities. CBL's portfolio is comprised of 106 properties totaling 65.7 million square feet across 25 states, including 64 high quality enclosed, outlet and open-air retail centers and 8 properties managed for third parties. CBL seeks to continuously strengthen its company and portfolio through active management, aggressive leasing and profitable reinvestment in its properties.
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- A smaller Simon Property Group.
- Like Macerich, operating and managing regional malls and shopping centers.
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- Leasing of Retail Space: Providing commercial space within regional malls and open-air centers to various retail businesses for rent.
- Property Management: Overseeing the daily operations, maintenance, security, and tenant relations for their owned retail properties.
- Property Development and Redevelopment: Engaging in the construction of new retail centers and the significant renovation or expansion of existing properties.
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Please note that CBL & Associates Properties (symbol: CBL) is no longer a public company. It delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in late 2020 after emerging from bankruptcy and now operates as a private entity. However, based on its operations when it was a public Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) owning and managing shopping malls, its major customers were other companies, specifically retail and entertainment tenants.
CBL's primary business involved leasing retail space within its portfolio of shopping centers to a wide array of tenant companies. Therefore, its direct customers were the businesses that leased space, rather than individual consumers. While its tenant base was highly diversified across numerous properties and various retailers, its major customers can be categorized by type. Below are representative examples of public companies that would have typically been tenants in CBL's properties:
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Anchor Department Stores: These larger retailers typically occupy substantial square footage and historically served as key traffic drivers for the entire mall.
- Macy's (M)
- Dillard's (DDS)
- (Note: Other historical anchors like JCPenney and Sears are no longer public or have significantly reduced their footprint.)
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Specialty Retailers: This broad category includes in-line stores selling apparel, accessories, electronics, home goods, health & beauty products, and more. CBL's malls would host numerous such tenants.
- The Gap, Inc. (GPS)
- American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO)
- Bath & Body Works, Inc. (BBWI)
- Foot Locker, Inc. (FL)
- Victoria's Secret & Co. (VSCO)
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Food, Beverage, and Entertainment Operators: Restaurants, food court vendors, cinemas, and other entertainment venues also leased space within CBL properties.
- Examples are highly varied and include numerous private and smaller regional chains, alongside some larger public restaurant groups. Due to the diverse nature of these tenants, no single or handful of these would typically constitute a "major customer" in the same way an anchor department store might.
It is important to understand that a mall REIT's customer base is highly diversified across hundreds of individual leases, and while some tenants (especially anchors) are larger in terms of space, no single or small group of tenants represents the majority of revenue, unlike a manufacturing company selling to a few large distributors. The examples provided are representative types of companies that would have been CBL's tenants when it was a public company.
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Stephen D. Lebovitz, Chief Executive Officer and President
Mr. Lebovitz has served as Chief Executive Officer of CBL Properties since January 1, 2010, and as President since 1999. He joined the company in 1988, founding its New England office, and has held various positions including head of development and acquisitions. Prior to joining CBL, he was a financial analyst with Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1984 to 1986. His father, Charles B. Lebovitz, was a co-founder of CBL & Associates Properties. Mr. Lebovitz holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. He served as Chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) from 2015 to 2016.
Ben Jaenicke, Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Mr. Jaenicke assumed the role of Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in January 2023, having joined CBL in 2022 as Executive Vice President – Finance. Before his tenure at CBL, he spent more than a decade in real estate investment banking with Wells Fargo and its predecessor firm Eastdil Secured, where he advised clients on strategic and capital planning, including M&A transactions, recapitalizations, and capital markets executions. Earlier in his career, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, providing audit and accounting services to public REIT clients. Mr. Jaenicke holds a B.S. in Business and a Master of Accounting from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. He is a CFA charterholder and a former Certified Public Accountant.
Charles B. Lebovitz, Chairman Emeritus
Mr. Lebovitz co-founded CBL & Associates, Inc. in 1978, which later became CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Board of CBL from its initial public offering in November 1993 through November 2021, and has since served as Chairman Emeritus. He was Chief Executive Officer of the company until December 2009 and President until February 1999. Mr. Lebovitz has been involved in shopping center development since 1961, starting with his family's development business. He was also affiliated with Arlen Realty & Development Corp., where he served as President of its shopping center division. Mr. Lebovitz received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Vanderbilt University.
Michael I. Lebovitz, Executive Vice President, Development and Administration
Mr. Lebovitz serves as Executive Vice President of Development and Administration for CBL & Associates Properties. He has also been referred to as President in some listings. Along with his brothers Stephen and Alan, he has overseen significant growth of CBL since it went public in 1993.
Augustus N. Stephas, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Stephas, also known as Gus, has served as the Chief Operating Officer of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. He holds the title of Executive Vice President.
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Accelerated Obsolescence of Traditional Enclosed Regional Malls: The core emerging threat to CBL & Associates Properties is the deepening and accelerating structural decline of the traditional enclosed regional mall format. This trend is driven by two main factors:
Persistent E-commerce Expansion: The sustained growth of online shopping continues to erode demand for physical retail space, particularly among department stores and apparel retailers that traditionally anchored malls. This leads to ongoing tenant bankruptcies, store closures, and difficulty in re-leasing large spaces, mirroring how Netflix undermined Blockbuster's physical rental model.
Shifting Consumer Preferences: Modern consumers increasingly favor alternative retail formats such as open-air lifestyle centers, mixed-use developments, and experience-driven destinations that offer greater convenience and integrated entertainment. These formats actively draw tenants and foot traffic away from older, enclosed malls, similar to how Uber offered a more preferred and convenient alternative to traditional taxicabs.
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The addressable market for CBL & Associates Properties (CBL) primarily encompasses the retail commercial real estate sector, specifically shopping mall management and the ownership, development, acquisition, leasing, and operation of regional shopping malls, open-air centers, outlet centers, lifestyle centers, and mixed-use developments. CBL's operations are concentrated in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.
The estimated addressable market size for shopping mall management in the U.S. is approximately $24.7 billion in 2025. This market has experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.0% over the past five years.
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CBL & Associates Properties (CBL) is expected to drive future revenue growth over the next 2-3 years through several strategic initiatives focused on optimizing its retail real estate portfolio and enhancing property performance. Key drivers include:
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Improving Occupancy and Driving Rent Growth: CBL is focused on increasing the occupancy rates across its properties and achieving higher rental revenues. The company's third-quarter 2025 results highlighted a 90-basis point increase in occupancy to 90.2% and robust leasing spreads of 17.1% across all property types. This indicates successful strategies in attracting and retaining tenants, which directly translates to increased rental income.
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Strategic Acquisitions and Redevelopments with Portfolio Diversification: The company is actively acquiring new properties and redeveloping existing ones to enhance portfolio quality and broaden its tenant base. For instance, in July 2025, CBL acquired four enclosed malls as part of its strategy to invest in higher cash flow yielding opportunities. Furthermore, CBL is transforming its property offerings to include a diverse mix of retail, service, dining, entertainment, and other non-retail uses, alongside re-tenanting former anchor locations and diversifying in-line tenancy.
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Strong Tenant Sales and Recovery in Consumer Spending: Growth in tenant sales is a significant indicator of the health and attractiveness of CBL's properties, which in turn supports rental revenue growth. Tenant sales increased by 4.8% year-over-year in Q3 2025, demonstrating the resilience of consumer demand and the strength of the company's portfolio. The ongoing recovery of the retail sector post-pandemic is expected to further boost consumer spending and foot traffic in CBL's malls and lifestyle centers.
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Capital Recycling and Asset Portfolio Optimization: CBL's strategic capital recycling program involves divesting non-core assets and reinvesting in higher-yielding opportunities. This proficiency in optimizing its portfolio through asset sales, such as the disposition of Fremaux Town Center, enhances overall portfolio quality and financial flexibility, contributing to a stronger and more efficient revenue-generating asset base.
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CBL & Associates Properties (CBL) has undertaken several significant capital allocation decisions over the last 3-5 years.
Share Repurchases
- On November 5, 2025, CBL Properties authorized a new stock repurchase program of up to $25 million, which supersedes a previous program. This program is authorized to repurchase shares through November 5, 2026.
- Under the prior program, authorized on May 1, 2025, CBL repurchased 248,590 shares for $7.3 million.
Share Issuance
- Following its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2021, former secured lenders received approximately 63% of the equity, and former unsecured noteholders received approximately 27% in exchange for the cancellation of debt as part of a debt-for-equity swap.
- Shares were also acquired on November 1, 2021, under the company's Chapter 11 reorganization, in exchange for old common stock, and via equity awards under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan.
Inbound Investments
- CBL emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2021, which resulted in a reduction of its debt load by approximately $1.7 billion and preferred stock obligations by over $450 million.
Outbound Investments
- In July 2025, CBL acquired four enclosed regional malls from Washington Prime Group for $178.9 million. These acquisitions include Ashland Town Center, Mesa Mall, Paddock Mall, and Southgate Mall.
- In December 2024, CBL acquired its former partner's interest in three malls (CoolSprings Galleria, Oak Park Mall, and West County Center) for a cash consideration of $22.5 million, while also assuming $266.7 million in non-recourse loans associated with these properties.
- As part of a portfolio optimization strategy, CBL has been selling non-core assets, generating over $238.0 million in gross proceeds year-to-date through September 30, 2025.