Top 10 Retail Space Owners Down in 2010

General Growth's Ala Moana Shopping Center, Honolulu. photo/bmm

The total square footage of the top 10 owners of retail real estate in 2010 has declined for the third straight year.

At the end of 2009, the top 10 firms owned 1.125 billion square feet of space and at the end of 2008 the figure was 1.148 billion square feet of space. The combined portfolio peaked at the end of 2007 at 1.158 billion square feet. Despite the recent stagnation, the top 10 firms' combined portfolios is significantly larger than it was in the past. At the end of 1997, the top 10 firms in our rankings owned a combined 484.55 million square feet.  [via Retail Traffic]

Here they are, the top 10 owners of retail real estate. As of December 31, 2010, all together they own 1.100 billion square feet of space.