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Mall Landlords Weigh Becoming Lenders to Blunt Retail Apocalypse
- REITs have had discussions about coordinating to save tenants
- Landlords could loan-to-own in the event of bankruptcy
A woman carries a shopping bag while walking past a Forever 21 store at the Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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Mall landlords accustomed to offering rent reductions to ailing retailers are mulling a new strategy to forestall the industry’s collapse: positioning themselves as lenders to tenants struggling to stay afloat.
Boutique bank PJ Solomon has organized discussions with several mall owners about pursuing such a strategy with troubled retailer Forever 21 Inc., according to people with knowledge of the matter, in what could serve as a model for future transactions within the sector.