However, a Rodamco shareholder's meeting set for Tuesday has been postponed by the Enterprise Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal. Rodamco, which agreed to be bought for $5.3 billion by a joint venture that includes Simon, The Rouse Co. and West America Trust, hopes to reschedule the shareholder's meeting as soon as possible after a March 21 hearing.

Simon Property Group would pick up Boston's Copley Place, Houston's The Galleria and Charlotte's South Park Mall in the 14.6 million sf. The Galleria is getting a new Nordstrom's and Foley's department stores in a 280,000-sf expansion slated to be completed in April 2003, the REIT told the conference, while South Park Mall will get a Nordstrom's and Sak's Fifth Avenue along with additions to Belk's and Hecht's. That work is expected to be complete by spring of 2004.

The acquisition will give Simon Property Group a dominant position in the Charlotte, Houston, Memphis and Oklahoma markets, according to the firm's presentation, as well as a presence in the Minneapolis market.