USA Commercial Property more robust than Residential ?

Philadelphia Premium Outlets, a $115 million retail complex, opened today in Limerick. Its 120 stores include a Neiman Marcus Last Call, the department store’s clearance business. A second phase of the outlet center now under construction will add 30 stores and 120,000 square feet to the 425,000 square feet in the first phase. The center’s developer is Chelsea Property Group, a unit of Simon Property Group Inc., Indianapolis. Simon Property Group, Inc. is an S&P 500 company and the largest public U.S. real estate company. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers(R), The Mills(R), community/lifestyle centers and international properties. It currently owns or has an interest in 379 properties comprising 258 million square feet of gross leasable area in North America, Europe and Asia. The Company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employs more than 5,000 people worldwide. Simon Property Group, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol SPG. For further information, visit the Company’s website at www.simon.com.

It seems clear to us that the commercial property boom is continuing, while residential mortgage defaults and foreclosures heads towards record highs. We’ll be watching the progress of this mall closely, looking for signs of weakness in teh commercial world. It’s only a matter of time? Or will this particular crisis pass by unnoticed? What do you think?