CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL): ANSOFF MATRIX [Dec-2025 Updated]

As a seasoned analyst who has seen a few real estate cycles, I know that after a major restructuring, you need absolute clarity on the next growth engine for CBL & Associates Properties, Inc., and the Ansoff Matrix gives us that precise roadmap. We're moving past simple stabilization to actionable expansion, from the near-term wins like driving existing center occupancy to 92% by Q4 2025 and growing specialty leasing by 15%, all the way to the bolder plays like converting anchor boxes to medical offices or committing an average of $10 million per center to entertainment upgrades. Honestly, whether you favor the safety of market penetration or the upside of industrial property diversification, this framework lays out exactly where CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. can place its capital for the best return, so check out the specific actions below.

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL) - Ansoff Matrix: Market Penetration

You're looking at how CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL) plans to maximize revenue from its current portfolio of shopping centers. This is about getting more out of what you already own.

The immediate goal for existing centers is clear: Drive occupancy from 90% to 92% in existing centers by Q4 2025. As of September 30, 2025, the total portfolio occupancy stood at 90.2%, which is a 90 basis-point improvement year-over-year. To hit that 92% mark, you need to close the gap from the latest reported same-center occupancy for malls, lifestyle centers, and outlet centers, which was 88.4% as of September 30, 2025.

Next, you are targeting a significant revenue lift from temporary tenants. The plan is to Increase specialty leasing revenue by 15% through pop-up shops and kiosks. This complements the overall leasing momentum seen recently; for instance, CBL executed over 972,000 square feet of leases in Q3 2025.

To drive foot traffic and tenant performance directly, the strategy calls to Implement a loyalty program to boost repeat visits and tenant sales by 5%. The underlying tenant health is already showing positive movement; same-center tenant sales per square foot for Q3 2025 increased approximately 4.8% year over year.

Filling vacant space quickly is key to reducing lost revenue days. This involves two related actions:

• Negotiate shorter-term leases to fill vacant space faster, reducing downtime.
• Offer tenant improvement allowances to secure high-quality, in-demand retailers.

The success of securing better terms is reflected in the latest leasing spreads. New leases signed in Q3 2025 achieved spreads of more than 70%, while renewals captured nearly 10% rent growth, with an overall average rent increase of 17.1% versus prior rents on comparable deals.

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL) - Ansoff Matrix: Market Development

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is actively pursuing market development by expanding its geographic footprint and optimizing its asset base. As of the first quarter of 2025, the owned and managed portfolio stood at 88 properties totaling 55.4 million square feet across 20 states. By the third quarter of 2025, this had grown to 106 properties covering 65.7 million square feet across 25 states.

The strategy involves targeted acquisitions in growth areas, evidenced by the purchase of four enclosed malls in Q3 2025 for a combined $178.9 million. This acquisition activity occurred while CBL simultaneously executed dispositions to sharpen focus. For instance, in Q1 2025, the company closed on dispositions generating over $73.3 million in gross proceeds at CBL's share, including the sale of Monroeville Mall and Annex for $34.0 million and Imperial Valley Mall for $38.1 million. Post Q3 2025, the sale of Fremaux Town Center yielded cash proceeds of $30.77 million, alongside removing $35 million of associated debt.

The current portfolio concentration remains in the southeastern and midwestern United States, but recent acquisitions in Kentucky, Colorado, Florida, and Montana signal movement into new or less-penetrated regions.

The following table summarizes the shift in the scale of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.'s portfolio between Q1 2025 and the latest reported figures, reflecting market development through acquisition and disposition activity:

The execution of this market development strategy is supported by strong operational metrics within the existing base, which is crucial for integrating new assets. Portfolio occupancy reached 90.2% as of September 30, 2025. Leasing spreads on new and renewal deals were robust at 17.1% in Q3 2025. Tenant sales per square foot for the trailing 12 months ended Q3 2025 stood at $432, an increase of 1.6% year-over-year.

Specific actions related to market development include:

• Target secondary Sun Belt markets for property acquisition or joint ventures.
• Expand into adjacent states where CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. has no current footprint.
• Acquire distressed regional malls from smaller, non-REIT owners at a discount.
• Partner with e-commerce brands for physical store rollouts in existing properties.
• Launch a focused marketing campaign to attract national tenants currently absent from the portfolio.

The company's 2026 Funds From Operations (FFO), as adjusted, guidance is set at $7.70 per share. The Board also authorized a share repurchase program for up to $25 million of common stock.

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL) - Ansoff Matrix: Product Development

You're looking at how CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL) is actively developing new product offerings within its existing market footprint, which is the core of the Product Development quadrant in the Ansoff Matrix. This isn't about finding new malls; it's about fundamentally changing what the existing square footage offers to the consumer and the tenant base. For the nine months ended September 30, 2025, CBL's estimated total development/redevelopment expenditures were projected to be between $7.5 million and $12.5 million.

A key component of this strategy involves converting vacant anchor boxes into non-retail uses. CBL is executing a strategy to re-tenant former anchor locations and diversify in-line tenancy, focusing on uses that drive consistent foot traffic. For instance, year-to-date through November 2023, CBL had deals executed for four medical uses, including a medical office building, showing a clear pivot toward non-retail anchors.

To enhance the experiential component, CBL is heavily focused on entertainment and dining additions. The strategic investment target here is to invest $10 million per center on average for these additions. This capital deployment aims to create destinations that compete effectively against e-commerce. You can see the general financial health supporting this in the Q3 2025 results, where Net Income Attributable to Common Shareholders reached $74.3 million.

The transformation also includes integrating residential components. CBL is actively looking to introduce multi-family residential units on underutilized mall parking lots. This mixed-use approach locks in a captive audience for the remaining retail and service components. Furthermore, to generate new revenue streams from the existing common areas, the plan involves developing co-working spaces. This is a direct play to monetize underutilized, high-amenity real estate.

Finally, to support all these new uses and optimize the existing retail base, CBL is moving to integrate smart-mall technology for enhanced tenant data and customer experience. While specific 2025 metrics aren't public yet, the commitment to this area is shown by past deployments, such as the partnership with RetailNext deployed at Hamilton Place and Asheville Mall to capture shopper behavior data.

Here's a snapshot of the financial context as CBL executes these product developments:

The leasing activity reflects the success of these product enhancements:

• Comparable new lease spreads signed at over 70% increase.
• Renewal leases signed at nearly 10% increase versus expiring rents.
• Tenant sales grew 4.8% Year-over-Year in Q3 2025.

These figures show that the product development efforts are translating into better leasing terms and stronger performance from existing tenants, which is exactly what you want to see when investing capital into existing assets. Finance: draft the projected cash flow impact of the $7.5 million to $12.5 million 2025 redevelopment spend by next Tuesday.

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (CBL) - Ansoff Matrix: Diversification

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is executing strategic portfolio optimization that aligns with diversification concepts, even within its core retail focus. You need to see the current financial footing to understand the scale of any new venture.

The current operational momentum provides a baseline. For the nine months ended September 30, 2025, Funds from Operations (FFO), as adjusted, per share stood at $4.94. Leasing spreads on new comparable leases were strong at 17.1% in Q3 2025, and tenant sales per square foot for the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, were $432, up 1.6% year-over-year.

Consider the following diversification vectors:

• Acquire a portfolio of industrial or logistics properties in the Southeast US.
• Invest in a separate, non-retail focused REIT, such as a data center or cell tower REIT.
• Launch a third-party property management and leasing service for non-CBL owned malls.
• Develop a debt investment fund focused on commercial real estate mortgages.
• Enter the hospitality sector by building limited-service hotels on mall outparcels.

The strategy to transform property offerings already points toward non-retail uses, which is a form of internal diversification. Management is focused on re-tenanting former anchor locations with a mix of retail, service, dining, entertainment, and other non-retail uses. This is a direct move away from pure traditional retail dependency.

For the hospitality entry via outparcels, you look at the existing asset base. CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. operates 158 properties, including 85 market dominant enclosed malls and open-air centers. The outparcels and other assets segment showed a 2.4% increase in same-center NOI for Q3 2025. This segment represents the most immediate physical space for hotel development on existing land holdings.

Launching a third-party management service leverages existing expertise. In Q3 2025, management, development, and leasing fees declined 38.4% year-over-year, suggesting this revenue stream is not a primary focus or is being actively pruned. However, the core competency in managing regional shopping malls, outlet centers, and lifestyle centers is established across the portfolio.

The debt fund idea requires capital allocation outside of core property acquisition. In July 2025, CBL acquired four enclosed malls for $178.9 million. Year-to-date through October, CBL generated more than $238.0 million of gross proceeds from dispositions, which was then used to fund acquisitions and reduce debt, with net debt estimated at about $2.2 billion against a $3.15 billion enterprise value. Any debt fund would compete with this deleveraging and core acquisition strategy.

For non-retail REIT investment, the company's current debt structure is a consideration. About 28% of CBL's debt is floating rate as of the end of Q3 2025. The projected S&P Global Ratings-adjusted cash FFO over the next 12 months is about $125 million, which must cover debt amortization payments of about $100 million per year, plus maintenance capital expenditures of $50 million-$55 million annually, and annual dividend distributions of $50 million-$60 million.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.