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kids' club. And there likely will be more announcements of new retailers in the weeks and months ahead.
• "Simon is very aggressive with their leasing, and their relationships are really unlimited because of their size and scope of their business," said Dennis Gilliam, The Empire Mall's general manager. "For most retailers, Simon is their largest landlord. So with those connections and relations, it's easier to make those deals."
• Gilliam, who has been overseeing the mall for five years, is prohibited from releasing sales figures or occupancy rates.
• "I can tell by sales our traffic is up, but that's about all I can say," he said.
• Simon's total revenue per square foot was $554, according to the company's second-quarter earnings, nearly a 10 percent increase compared with a year ago. Its properties were 94.2 percent occupied.
• Simon's size is a factor in attracting retailers, said Jesse Tron, a senior communications and media specialist for the International Council of Shopping Centers.
• "It absolutely helps when you're bringing a large, key industry player that is managing the property," he said. "It makes the property more attractive for potential tenants."
• While some leases can be adjusted, The Empire Mall has few empty spaces for retailers. That's partly because of an approach Simon took to filling the wing formerly occupied by F.Y.E., a large entertainment media store that moved out in early 2011.
• Former owner Macerich had asked the mall to leave the space open while it went after a large retailer, but Simon decided to start leasing to smaller, local businesses.
• "Of course, that (a large retailer) is still always a possibility, but we have all these opportunities to fill in and make the company some money while we're waiting for that opportunity to show up," Gilliam said.
• One of those new tenants is the Xcite Family Fun Center, which relocated to the mall from a strip mall earlier this year and took 17,000 square feet of the former F.Y.E. location.
• "We've seen about a 40 percent increase in open admissions, which is excellent," owner Desiree Hansen said. She credits the increased visibility of the mall and a boost in business from grandparents, who were introduced to Xcite while walking in the mall.
• Xcite was able to expand its arcade and toddler play area, adding an inflatable and ball pit. Hansen signed a one-year lease but would like to be there "significantly longer," she said.
• Her success represents a growing trend in malls nationwide, which are finding

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