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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

  X ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004.

OR

  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the transition period from ___________________ to _________________
Commission File Number 1-11530

TAUBMAN CENTERS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Michigan 38-2033632
(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

200 East Long Lake Road
Suite 300, P.O. Box 200
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303-0200
(Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (248) 258-6800


Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Name of each exchange
Title of each class on which registered
Common Stock, New York Stock Exchange
$0.01 Par Value

8.3% Series A Cumulative New York Stock Exchange
Redeemable Preferred Stock,
$0.01 Par Value

8% Series G Cumulative New York Stock Exchange
Redeemable Preferred Stock,
No Par Value

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter periods that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

     Yes X    No

  Indicate by a check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.

  Indicate by a check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

     Yes X   No

The aggregate market value of the 48,985,475 shares of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of March 3, 2005 was $1.1 billion, based upon the closing price $22.89 on the New York Stock Exchange composite tape on June 30, 2004. (For this computation, the registrant has excluded the market value of all shares of its Common Stock directors of the registrant and certain other shareholders; such exclusion shall not be deemed to constitute an admission that any such person is an "affiliate" of the registrant.) As of March 3, 2005, there were outstanding 49,976,870 shares of Common Stock.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the proxy statement for the annual shareholders meeting to be held in 2005 are incorporated by reference into Part III.


PART I

Item 1. BUSINESS.

        The following discussion of our business contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements represent our expectations or beliefs concerning future events. We caution that although forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs and best judgment based upon current information, these statements are qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including those risks, uncertainties, and factors detailed from time to time in reports filed with the SEC, and in particular those set forth under the headings “General Risks of the Company” and “Environmental Matters” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company

        Taubman Centers, Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our”, or “TCO”) was incorporated in Michigan in 1973 and we had our initial public offering (“IPO”) in 1992. We own a 61% managing general partner’s interest in The Taubman Realty Group Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership” or “TRG”), through which we conduct all of our operations.

        We are engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition, and operation of regional shopping centers and interests therein. Our portfolio as of December 31, 2004, included 21 urban and suburban centers located in nine states. Two new centers are under construction in New Jersey and North Carolina. The Operating Partnership also owns certain regional retail shopping center development projects and more than 99% of The Taubman Company LLC (the “Manager”), which manages the shopping centers and provides other services to the Operating Partnership and to us. See the table on page 13 of this report for information regarding the centers.

        We are a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). In order to satisfy the provisions of the Code applicable to REITs, we must distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income and meet certain other requirements. The Operating Partnership’s partnership agreement provides that the Operating Partnership will distribute, at a minimum, sufficient amounts to its partners such that our pro rata share will enable us to pay shareholder dividends (including capital gains dividends that may be required upon the Operating Partnership’s sale of an asset) that will satisfy the REIT provisions of the Code.

Recent Developments

        For a discussion of business developments that occurred in 2004, see Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (MD&A).

The Shopping Center Business

        There are several types of retail shopping centers, varying primarily by size and marketing strategy. Retail shopping centers range from neighborhood centers of less than 100,000 square feet of GLA to regional and super-regional shopping centers. Retail shopping centers in excess of 400,000 square feet of GLA are generally referred to as “regional” shopping centers, while those centers having in excess of 800,000 square feet of GLA are generally referred to as “super-regional” shopping centers. Nineteen of our centers are “super-regional” centers. In this annual report on Form 10-K, the term “regional shopping centers” refers to both regional and super-regional shopping centers. The term “GLA” refers to gross retail space, including anchors and mall tenant areas, and the term “Mall GLA” refers to gross retail space, excluding anchors. The term “anchor” refers to a department store or other large retail store. The term “mall tenants” refers to stores (other than anchors) that are typically specialty retailers and lease space in shopping centers.

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Business of the Company

        We, as managing general partner of the Operating Partnership, are engaged in the ownership, management, leasing, acquisition, development, and expansion of regional shopping centers.

      The centers:

o are strategically located in major metropolitan areas, many in communities that are among the most affluent in the country, including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.;

o range in size between 233,000 and 1.6 million square feet of GLA and between 124,000 and 646,000 square feet of Mall GLA. The smallest center has approximately 40 stores, and the largest has over 200 stores. Of the 21 centers, 19 are super-regional shopping centers;

o have approximately 3,000 stores operated by their mall tenants under approximately 1,300 trade names;

o have 66 anchors, operating under 18 trade names;

o lease most of Mall GLA to national chains, including subsidiaries or divisions of The Limited (The Limited, Express, Victoria's Secret, and others), Gap (Gap, Gap Kids, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and others), and Foot Locker, Inc. (Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and others); and

o are among the most productive (measured by mall tenants’ average per square foot sales) in the United States. In 2004, mall tenants had average per square foot sales of $477, which is significantly greater than the average for all regional shopping centers owned by public companies.

        The most important factor affecting the revenues generated by the centers is leasing to mall tenants (primarily specialty retailers), which represents approximately 90% of revenues. Anchors account for less than 10% of revenues because many own their stores and, in general, those that lease their stores do so at rates substantially lower than those in effect for mall tenants.

        Our portfolio is concentrated in highly productive super-regional shopping centers. Of the 21 centers, 20 had annual rent rolls at December 31, 2004 of over $10 million. We believe that this level of productivity is indicative of the centers’ strong competitive position and is, in significant part, attributable to our business strategy and philosophy. We believe that large shopping centers (including regional and especially super-regional shopping centers) are the least susceptible to direct competition because (among other reasons) anchors and large specialty retail stores do not find it economically attractive to open additional stores in the immediate vicinity of an existing location for fear of competing with themselves. In addition to the advantage of size, we believe that the centers’ success can be attributed in part to their other physical characteristics, such as design, layout, and amenities.

Business Strategy And Philosophy

        We believe that the regional shopping center business is not simply a real estate development business, but rather an operating business in which a retailing approach to the on-going management and leasing of the centers is essential. Thus we:

o offer a large, diverse selection of retail stores in each center to give customers a broad selection of consumer goods and variety of price ranges.

o endeavor to increase overall mall tenants’ sales by leasing space to a constantly changing mix of tenants, thereby increasing achievable rents.

o seek to anticipate trends in the retailing industry and emphasize ongoing introductions of new retail concepts into our centers. Due in part to this strategy, a number of successful retail trade names have opened their first mall stores in the centers. In addition, we have brought to the centers “new to the market” retailers. We believe that the execution of this leasing strategy has been unique in the industry and is an important element in building and maintaining customer loyalty and increasing mall productivity.

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o provide innovative initiatives that utilize technology and the Internet to heighten the shopping experience, build customer loyalty and increase tenant sales. One such initiative is our Taubman Center Website Program, which connects shoppers and retailers through an interactive content-driven website. We also offer our shoppers a robust direct email program, which allows them to receive, each week, information featuring what’s on sale and what’s new at the stores they select.

        The centers compete for retail consumer spending through diverse, in-depth presentations of predominantly fashion merchandise in an environment intended to facilitate customer shopping. While some centers include stores that target high-end, upscale customers, each center is individually merchandised in light of the demographics of its potential customers within convenient driving distance.

        Our leasing strategy involves assembling a diverse mix of mall tenants in each of the centers in order to attract customers, thereby generating higher sales by mall tenants. High sales by mall tenants make the centers attractive to prospective tenants, thereby increasing the rental rates that prospective tenants are willing to pay. We implement an active leasing strategy to increase the centers’ productivity and to set minimum rents at higher levels. Elements of this strategy include terminating leases of under-performing tenants, renegotiating existing leases, and not leasing space to prospective tenants that (though viable or attractive in certain ways) would not enhance a center’s retail mix.

        Our leasing strategy also includes a new initiative in 2005. After much discussion with retailers and performing significant analysis, we have decided to begin offering our tenants the option to pay a fixed charge or pay their share of common area maintenance (CAM) costs. We believe that this will be positive for tenant relations, as it will allow the retailer to decide whether fixed CAM or traditional net CAM works best for them. Our research suggests this approach is unique in the industry; the retailer can choose greater predictability for a modest premium in the fixed CAM option. From a financial perspective, our analysis shows the premium will balance our additional risk. Assuming tenants sign up for the fixed CAM option, over time there will be significantly less matching of CAM income with CAM expenditures, which can vary considerably from period to period.

Potential For Growth

        Our principal objective is to enhance shareholder value. We seek to maximize the financial results of our core assets, while also pursuing a growth strategy that primarily includes an active new center development program.

Internal Growth

        We expect that the majority of our future growth will come from our existing core portfolio and business. Although we’ve always had a culture of intensively managing our assets and maximizing the rents from tenants, we’re committed to improving the processes that significantly impact the core portfolio in order to drive even better performance.

        Our core business strategy is to maintain a portfolio of properties that deliver above-market profitable growth by providing targeted retailers with the best opportunity to do business in each market and targeted shoppers with the best local shopping experience for their needs.

Development of New Centers

        We are pursuing an active program of regional shopping center development. We believe that we have the expertise to develop economically attractive regional shopping centers through intensive analysis of local retail opportunities. We believe that the development of new centers is an important use of our capital and an area in which we excel. At any time, we have numerous potential development projects in various stages.

        Northlake Mall, a 1.1 million square foot wholly-owned center in Charlotte, North Carolina is currently under construction and is scheduled to open September 15, 2005.

        Our approximately $75 million balance of development pre-construction costs as of December 31, 2004 consists of costs relating to our Oyster Bay project in Town of Oyster Bay, New York. Refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Planned Capital Spending regarding the status of this project.

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        We have signed a conditional letter of intent with regard to a project in Salt Lake City, Utah. This project would be a total reconfiguration of two existing properties and Nordstrom has announced its commitment to the project. While the structure and amount of our investment is not finalized, we are hopeful we will begin construction as early as 2005.

        In addition, in January 2005, we entered into an agreement to invest in The Pier at Caesar’s (The Pier) in Atlantic City, a 0.3 million square foot project in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The project is currently under construction and will open in 2006. Under the agreement, we will have a 30% interest in The Pier. We also entered into a joint development agreement for future projects with our partner in this project.

        Our policies with respect to development activities are designed to reduce the risks associated with development. We generally do not intend to acquire land early in the development process. Instead, we generally acquire options on land or form partnerships with landholders holding potentially attractive development sites. We typically exercise the options only once we are prepared to begin construction. The pre-construction phase for a regional center typically extends over several years and the time to obtain anchor commitments, zoning and regulatory approvals, and public financing arrangements can vary significantly from project to project. In addition, we do not intend to begin construction until a sufficient number of anchor stores have agreed to operate in the shopping center, such that we are confident that the projected sales and rents from Mall GLA are sufficient to earn a return on invested capital in excess of our cost of capital. Having historically followed these principles, our experience indicates that, on average, less than 10% of the costs of the development of a regional shopping center will be incurred prior to the construction period. However, no assurance can be given that we will continue to be able to so limit pre-construction costs. Unexpected costs due to extended zoning and regulatory processes may cause our investment in a project to exceed this historic experience.

        While we will continue to evaluate development projects using criteria, including financial criteria for rates of return, similar to those employed in the past, no assurances can be given that the adherence to these policies will produce comparable results in the future. In addition, the costs of shopping center development opportunities that are explored but ultimately abandoned will, to some extent, diminish the overall return on development projects. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Capital Spending” for further discussion of our development activities.

Strategic Acquisitions

        Our objective is to acquire existing centers only when they are compatible with the quality of our portfolio (or can be redeveloped to that level) and that satisfy our strategic plans and pricing requirements. Recently we acquired a 30% interest in The Pier at Caesars, a project currently under construction by Gordon Group in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 2003, we acquired a 25% interest in Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida. We also may acquire additional interests in centers currently in our portfolio. In 2004 we acquired the additional 23.6% interest in International Plaza, bringing our ownership in the shopping center to 50.1% and the additional 30% ownership of Beverly Center, bringing our ownership in the shopping center to 100%.

        In addition, we have begun looking at opportunities in Asia to augment our existing development and acquisition activities. We have several key criteria for any international initiative: 1) we would like it to be a sustainable program, not just one project, 2) we would like strong partners who are actively engaged in the region, and 3) we would seek to limit our financial exposure while capitalizing on our expertise and knowledge.

Expansions of the Centers

        Another potential element of growth is the strategic expansion of existing properties to update and enhance their market positions, by replacing or adding new anchor stores or increasing mall tenant space. Most of the centers have been designed to accommodate expansions. Expansion projects can be as significant as new shopping center construction in terms of scope and cost, requiring governmental and existing anchor store approvals, design and engineering activities, including rerouting utilities, providing additional parking areas or decking, acquiring additional land, and relocating anchors and mall tenants (all of which must take place with a minimum of disruption to existing tenants and customers).

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        Construction has begun on an expansion and renovation at Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay. The expansion will increase mall tenant space by approximately 78,000 square feet. The project is scheduled to be completed in October 2005.

        In addition, at Stamford Town Center we purchased the Filene’s store, which closed in January 2005. We are now planning to reposition that center commencing in 2005. We expect to announce the details of the renovation over the next several months.

        The following table includes information regarding recent development, acquisition, and expansion and renovation activities:

Developments:    

Completion Date Center Location
October 2002 The Mall at Millenia Orlando, Florida
September 2003 Stony Point Fashion Park Richmond, Virginia

Acquisitions:

Completion Date Center Location
May 2002 Sunvalley (1) Concord, California
May 2002 Arizona Mills Tempe, Arizona
  additional interest (2)
October 2002 Dolphin Mall Miami, Florida
  additional interest (3)
March 2003 Great Lakes Crossing Auburn Hills, Michigan
  additional interest (4)
July 2003 MacArthur Center Norfolk, Virginia
  additional interest (5)
December 2003 Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay (6) Naples, Florida
January 2004 Beverly Center Los Angeles, California
  additional interest (7)
July 2004 International Plaza Tampa, Florida
  additional interest (8)

Expansions and Renovations:

Completion Date Center Location
November 2003 The Mall at Short Hills Short Hills, New Jersey
December 2003 Regency Square Richmond, Virginia

(1) In May 2002, a 50% interest in the center was acquired.
(2) In May 2002, an additional 13% interest in the center was acquired.
(3) In October 2002, the joint venture partner’s 50% interest in the center was acquired.
(4) In March 2003, the joint venture partner’s 15% interest in the center was acquired.
(5) In July 2003, an additional 25% interest in the center was acquired.
(6) In December 2003, a 25% interest in the center was acquired.
(7) In January 2004, the joint venture partner’s 30% interest in the center was acquired.
(8) In July 2004, an additional 23.6% interest in the center was acquired.

Rental Rates

        As leases have expired in the centers, we have generally been able to rent the available space, either to the existing tenant or a new tenant, at rental rates that are higher than those of the expired leases. In a period of increasing sales, rents on new leases will tend to rise as tenants’ expectations of future growth become more optimistic. In periods of slower growth or declining sales, such as we experienced from 2001 to 2003, rents on new leases will grow more slowly or will decline for the opposite reason. However, center revenues nevertheless increase as older leases roll over or are terminated early and replaced with new leases negotiated at current rental rates that are usually higher than the average rates for existing leases.

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        The following tables contain certain information regarding per square foot minimum rent in our consolidated businesses and unconsolidated joint ventures at the comparable centers (centers that had been owned and open for the current and preceding year):

2004 2003 2002 2001 2000





Average rent per square foot:            
    Consolidated Businesses  $41.35 $40.06 $42.31 $41.90 $39.30
    Unconsolidated Joint Ventures  42.48 42.75 42.03 41.76 40.41
Opening base rent per square foot: 
    Consolidated Businesses  $44.64 $43.41 $45.91 $52.77 $48.19
    Unconsolidated Joint Ventures  44.63 40.06 43.03 47.45 44.26
Square feet of GLA opened  1,054,116   1,011,055   774,016   657,815   609,335  
Closing base rent per square foot: 
    Consolidated Businesses  $44.79 $40.80 $43.47 . $42.34 $41.52
    Unconsolidated Joint Ventures  47.66 41.28 41.63 39.56 38.52
Square feet of GLA closed  828,485   1,098,769   661,981   803,542   628,013  
Releasing spread per square foot: 
    Consolidated Businesses  $(0.15 ) $2.61 $2.44 $10.43 $6.67
    Unconsolidated Joint Ventures  (3.03 ) (1.22 ) 1.40 7.89 5.74

        The spread between opening and closing rents may not be indicative of future periods, as this statistic is not computed on comparable tenant spaces, and can vary significantly from period to period depending on the total amount, location, and average size of tenant space opening and closing in the period. Rents on stores opening in 2004 and 2003 were generally negotiated in a decreasing sales environment. Now that sales have shown positive year-over-year growth for 21 months, and assuming this positive trend continues, we would expect to also see improvement in rent growth.

Lease Expirations

        The following table shows lease expirations based on information available as of December 31, 2004 for the next ten years for all owned centers in operation at that date:

Lease
Expiration
Year
Number of
Leases
Expiring
Leased Area in
Square Footage
Annualized Base
Rent Under
Expiring Leases
(in thousands)
Annualized Base
Rent Under
Expiring Leases
Per Squre Foot (1)
Precent of
Total Leased
Square Footage
Represented by
Expiring Leases
     2005 (2) 140 459,725  $15,187  $33.04  4.2%
2006 219  578,959  22,713  39.23 5.3    
2007 271  723,064  29,176  40.35 6.6    
2008 337  987,335  37,337  37.82 9.0    
2009 350  1,017,402  40,714  40.02 9.2    
2010 206  605,531  27,496  45.41 5.5    
2011 431  1,440,168  56,093  38.95 13.1    
2012 301  1,363,119  52,332  38.39 12.4    
2013 257  1,121,549  40,536  36.14 10.2    
2014 201  774,960  27,963  36.08 7.0    

(1) A higher percentage of space at value centers (Arizona Mills, Dolphin Mall, and Great Lakes Crossing) is typically rented to major and mall tenants at lower rents than the portfolio average. Excluding value centers, the annualized base rent under expiring leases is greater by a range of $4.84 to $12.81 or an average of $8.19 for the periods presented within this table.
(2) Excludes leases that expire in 2005 for which renewal leases or leases with replacement tenants have been executed as of December 31, 2004.

        We believe that the information in the table is not necessarily indicative of what will occur in the future because of several factors, but principally because of early lease terminations at the centers. For example, the average remaining term of the leases that were terminated during the period 1998 to 2004 was approximately two years. The average term of leases signed during 2004 and 2003 was approximately seven years.

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        In addition, mall tenants at the centers may seek the protection of the bankruptcy laws, which could result in the termination of such tenants’ leases and thus cause a reduction in cash flow. In 2004, approximately 1.7% of leases were so affected compared to 2.3% in 2003. This statistic has ranged from 1.2% to 4.5% since we went public in 1992. Since 1991, the annual provision for losses on accounts receivable has been less than 2% of annual revenues.

Occupancy

        Mall tenant leased space, ending occupancy, and average occupancy rates of our centers were 90.7%, 89.6% and 87.4%, respectively, in 2004, and 89.8%, 87.4%, and 86.6%, respectively, in 2003. For comparable centers, leased space, ending occupancy, and average occupancy rates were 90.5%, 89.4%, and 87.1%, respectively, in 2004, and 89.5%, 87.3%, and 86.6%, respectively, in 2003. Occupancy statistics include mall tenants with lease terms greater than one year and value center anchors.

Major Tenants

        No single retail company represents 10% or more of our revenues. The combined operations of The Limited, Inc. accounted for approximately 5.0% of Mall GLA as of December 31, 2004 and 4.7% of 2004 minimum rent. No other single retail company accounted for more than 3% of Mall GLA or 4% of 2004 minimum rent. The following table shows the ten largest tenants and their square footage as of December 31, 2004:

Tenant # of
Stores
Square
Footage
% of
Mall GLA
Limited (The Limited, Express, Victoria's Secret)   68   500,734   5 .0%
Gap (Gap, Gap Kids, Banana Republic, Old Navy)  37   291,416   2 .9
Forever 21  17   251,193   2 .5
Foot Locker (Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Champs Sports)  45   222,320   2 .2
Abercrombie &Fitch (Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister)  29   215,486   2 .2
Williams-Sonoma (Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids)  28   196,593   2 .0
Retail Brand Alliance (Brooks Brothers, Casual Corner)  30   179,886   1 .8
The TJX Companies (Marshalls, T.J. Maxx)  4   151,313   1 .5
Ann Taylor  26   138,726   1 .4
Talbots  18   132,426   1 .3

General Risks of the Company

The Economic Performance and Value of our Shopping Centers are Dependent on Many Factors

        The economic performance and value of our shopping centers are dependent on various factors. Additionally, these same factors will influence our decision whether to go forward on the development of new centers and may affect the ultimate economic performance and value of projects under construction. Adverse changes in the economic performance and value of our shopping centers would adversely affect our income and cash available to pay dividends.

Such factors include:

o changes in the national, regional, and/or local economic and geopolitical climates,

o increases in operating costs,

o the public perception of the safety of customers at our shopping centers,

o legal liabilities,

o availability and cost of financing,

o changes in government regulations, and

o changes in real estate zoning and tax laws.

        In addition, the value and performance of our shopping centers may be adversely affected by certain other factors discussed below including competition, uninsured losses, and environmental liabilities. 

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We are in a competitive business.

        There are numerous shopping facilities that compete with our properties in attracting retailers to lease space. In addition, retailers at our properties face continued competition from discount shopping centers, lifestyle centers, outlet malls, wholesale and discount shopping clubs, direct mail, telemarketing, television shopping networks and shopping via the Internet. Competition of this type could adversely affect our revenues and cash available for distribution to stockholders.

        We compete with other major real estate investors with significant capital for attractive investment opportunities. These competitors include other REITs, investment banking firms and private institutional investors. This competition has increased prices for commercial properties and may impair our ability to make suitable property acquisitions on favorable terms in the future.

Some of our potential losses may not be covered by insurance.

        We carry comprehensive liability, fire, flood, earthquake, extended coverage and rental loss insurance on each of our properties. We believe the policy specifications and insured limits of these policies are adequate and appropriate. There are, however, some types of losses, including lease and other contract claims, that generally are not insured. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs, we could lose all or a portion of the capital we have invested in a property, as well as the anticipated future revenue from the property. If this happens, we might nevertheless remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the property.

        In November 2002, Congress passed the “Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002” (TRIA), which required insurance companies to offer terrorism coverage to all existing insured companies for an additional cost. As a result, our standard property insurance policies are currently provided without a sub-limit for terrorism, eliminating the need for separate terrorism insurance policies.

         TRIA has an expiration date of December 31, 2005. While Congress may extend or replace TRIA , the possibility exists that TRIA may be allowed to expire. There are specific provisions in our loans that address terrorism insurance. Simply stated, in most loans, we are obligated to obtain terrorism insurance, but there are limits on the amounts we could be required to spend to obtain such coverage. If Congress fails to extend or replace TRIA or if another terrorist event occurs, we would likely pay higher amounts for terrorism insurance coverage and/or obtain less coverage than we have currently. Our inability to obtain such coverage or to do so only at greatly increased costs may also negatively impact the availability and cost of future financings.

We may be subject to liabilities for environmental matters.

        All of the centers presently owned by us (not including option interests in certain pre-development projects ) have been subject to environmental assessments. No assurances can be given, however, that all environmental liabilities have been identified or that no prior owner, operator, or current occupant has created an environmental condition not known to us. Moreover, no assurances can be given that future laws, ordinances or regulations will not impose any material environmental liability or that the current environmental condition of the centers will not be affected by tenants and occupants of the centers, by the condition of properties in the vicinity of the centers (such as the presence of underground storage tanks) or by third parties unrelated to us.

We hold investments in joint ventures in which we do not control all decisions, and we may have conflicts of interest with our joint venture partners.

        Some of our shopping centers are partially owned by non-affiliated partners through joint venture arrangements. As a result, we do not control all decisions regarding those shopping centers and may be required to take actions that are in the interest of the joint venture partners but not our best interests. Accordingly, we may not be able to favorably resolve any issues which arise with respect to such decisions, or we may have to provide financial or other inducements to our joint venture partners to obtain such resolution.

        Various restrictive provisions and rights govern sales or transfers of interests in our joint ventures. These may work to our disadvantage because, among other things, we may be required to make decisions as to the purchase or sale of interests in our joint ventures at a time that is disadvantageous to us.

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The bankruptcy of our tenants, anchors or joint venture partners could adversely affect us.

        We could be adversely affected by the bankruptcy of third parties. The bankruptcy of a mall tenant could result in the termination of its lease which would lower the amount of cash generated by that mall. In addition, if a department store operating as an anchor at one of our shopping centers were to go into bankruptcy and cease operating, we may experience difficulty and delay in replacing the anchor. In addition, the anchor’s closing may lead to reduced customer traffic and lower mall tenant sales. As a result, we may also experience difficulty or delay in leasing spaces in areas adjacent to the vacant anchor space. The profitability of shopping centers held in a joint venture could also be adversely affected by the bankruptcy of one of the joint venture partners if, because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws, we were unable to make important decisions in a timely fashion or became subject to additional liabilities.

Our investments are subject to credit and market risk.

        We occasionally extend credit to third parties in connection with the sale of land or other transactions. We have occasionally made investments in marketable and other equity securities. We are exposed to risk in the event the values of our investments and/ or our loans decrease due to overall market conditions, business failure, and/ or other nonperformance by the investees or counterparties.

Our real estate investments are relatively illiquid.

        We may be limited in our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions by restriction on transfer imposed by our partners or lenders. In addition, under TRG’s partnership agreement, upon the sale of a center or TRG’s interest in a center, TRG may be required to distribute to its partners all of the cash proceeds received by TRG from such sale. If TRG made such a distribution, the sale proceeds would not be available to finance TRG’s activities, and the sale of a center may result in a decrease in funds generated by continuing operations and in distributions to TRG’s partners, including us.

We may acquire or develop new properties, and these activities are subject to various risks.

        We actively pursue development and acquisition activities as opportunities arise, and these activities are subject to the following risks:

o the pre-construction phase for a regional center typically extends over several years, and the time to obtain anchor commitments, zoning and regulatory approvals, and public financing can vary significantly from project to project,

o we may not be able to obtain the necessary zoning or other governmental approvals for a project, or we may determine that the expected return on a project is not sufficient; if we abandon our development activities with respect to a particular project, we may incur a loss on our investment,

o construction and other project costs may exceed our original estimates because of increases in material and labor costs, delays and costs to obtain anchor and tenant commitments,

o we may not be able to obtain financing or to refinance construction loans, which are generally recourse to TRG,

o occupancy rates and rents at a completed project may not meet our projections, and

o the costs of development activities that we explore but ultimately abandon will, to some extent, diminish the overall return on our completed development projects.

        We intend to explore development and acquisition opportunities in international markets. In addition to the risks noted above we may have additional currency, funds repatriation, tax and other political and regulatory considerations associated with such projects that may reduce our financial return.

9


We may not be able to maintain our status as a REIT.

        We may not be able to maintain our status as a REIT for Federal income tax purposes with the result that the income distributed to shareholders will not be deductible in computing taxable income and instead would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. We may also be subject to the alternative minimum tax if we fail to maintain our status as a REIT. Any such corporate tax liability would be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders which, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on the value of, or trading price for, our shares. Although we believe we are organized and operate in a manner to maintain our REIT qualification, many of the REIT requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, are very complex and have limited judicial or administrative interpretations. Changes in tax laws or regulations or new administrative interpretations and court decisions may also affect our ability to maintain REIT status in the future. If we do not maintain our REIT status in any year, we may be unable to elect to be treated as a REIT for the next four taxable years.

        Although we currently intend to maintain our status as a REIT, future economic, market, legal, tax, or other considerations may cause us to determine that it would be in our and our shareholders’ best interests to revoke our REIT election. If we revoke our REIT election, we will not be able to elect REIT status for the next four taxable years.

We may be subject to taxes even if we qualify as a REIT.

        Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we will be required to pay certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and property. For example, we will be subject to income tax to the extent we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, including capital gains. Moreover, if we have net income from “prohibited transactions,” that income will be subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. The determination as to whether a particular sale is a prohibited transaction depends on the facts and circumstances related to that sale. We cannot guarantee that sales of our properties would not be prohibited transactions unless we comply with certain statutory safe-harbor provisions. The need to avoid prohibited transactions could cause us to forego or defer sales of facilities that our predecessors otherwise would have sold or that might otherwise be in our best interest to sell.

        In addition, any net taxable income earned directly by our taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income tax. In this regard, several provisions of the laws applicable to REITs and their subsidiaries ensure that a taxable REIT subsidiary will be subject to an appropriate level of federal income taxation. For example, a taxable REIT subsidiary is limited in its ability to deduct certain interest payments made to an affiliated REIT. In addition, the REIT has to pay a 100% penalty tax on some payments that it receives or on some deductions taken by the taxable REIT subsidiaries if the economic arrangements between the REIT, the REIT’s tenants, and the taxable REIT subsidiary are not comparable to similar arrangements between unrelated parties. Finally, some state and local jurisdictions may tax some of our income even though as a REIT we are not subject to federal income tax on that income, because not all states and localities follow the federal income tax treatment of REITs. To the extent that we and our affiliates are required to pay federal, state and local taxes, we will have less cash available for distributions to our shareholders.

The lower tax rate on certain dividends from non-REIT “C” corporations may cause investors to prefer to hold stock in non-REIT “C” corporations.

        While corporate dividends have traditionally been taxed at ordinary income rates, the maximum tax rate on certain corporate dividends received by individuals through December 31, 2008, has been reduced from 35% to 15%. This change has reduced substantially the so-called “double taxation” (that is, taxation at both the corporate and shareholder levels) that had generally applied to non-REIT “C” corporations but did not apply to REITs. Generally, dividends from REITs do not qualify for the dividend tax reduction because REITs generally do not pay corporate-level tax on income that they distribute currently to shareholders. REIT dividends are only eligible for the lower capital gains rates in limited circumstances where the dividends are attributable to income, such as dividends from a taxable REIT subsidiary, that has been subject to corporate-level tax. The application of capital gains rates to non-REIT “C” corporation dividends could cause individual investors to view stock in non-REIT “C” corporations as more attractive than shares in REITs, which may negatively affect the value of our shares.

10


Our ownership limitations and other provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws may hinder any attempt to acquire us.

        The general limitations on ownership of our capital stock and other provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws could have the effect of discouraging offers to acquire us and of inhibiting a change in control, which could adversely affect our shareholders’ ability to receive a premium for their shares in connection with such a transaction.

Members of the Taubman family have the power to vote a significant number of the shares of our capital stock entitled to vote.

        Based on information contained in filings made with the SEC, as of December 31, 2004, A. Alfred Taubman and the members of his family have the power to vote approximately 33% of the outstanding shares of our common stock and our Series B preferred stock, considered together as a single class, and approximately 85% of our outstanding Series B preferred stock. Our shares of common stock and our Series B preferred stock vote together as a single class on all matters generally submitted to a vote of our shareholders, and the holders of the Series B preferred stock have certain rights to nominate up to four individuals for election to our board of directors and other class voting rights. Mr. Taubman’s sons, Robert S. Taubman and William S. Taubman, serve as our Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and our Executive Vice President, respectively. These individuals occupy the same positions with The Taubman Company, LLC, which manages all of our properties. As a result, Mr. A. Alfred Taubman and the members of his family may exercise significant influence with respect to the election of our board of directors, the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to our shareholders for approval, including any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, because our articles of incorporation impose a limitation on the ownership of our outstanding capital stock by any person and such ownership limitation may not be changed without the affirmative vote of holders owning not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote on such matter, Mr. A. Alfred Taubman and the members of his family have the power to prevent a change in control of our company.

Our ability to pay dividends on our stock may be limited.

        Because we conduct all of our operations through TRG, our ability to pay dividends on our stock will depend almost entirely on payments and dividends received on our interests in TRG. Additionally, the terms of some of the debt to which TRG is a party limits its ability to make some types of payments and other dividends to us. This in turn limits our ability to make some types of payments, including payment of dividends on our stock, unless we meet certain financial tests or such payments or dividends are required to maintain our qualification as a REIT. As a result, if we are unable to meet the applicable financial tests, we may not be able to pay dividends on our stock in one or more periods.

Our ability to pay dividends is further limited by the requirements of Michigan law.

        Our ability to pay dividends on our stock is further limited by the laws of Michigan. Under the Michigan Business Corporation Act, a Michigan corporation may not make a distribution if, after giving effect to the distribution, the corporation would not be able to pay its debts as the debts become due in the usual course of business, or the corporation’s total assets would be less than the sum of its total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed, if the corporation were dissolved at the time of the distribution, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of shareholders whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution. Accordingly, we may not make a distribution on our stock if, after giving effect to the distribution, we would not be able to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business or our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock then outstanding.

We may incur additional indebtedness, which may harm our financial position and cash flow and potentially impact our ability to pay dividends on our stock.

        Our governing documents do not limit us from incurring additional indebtedness and other liabilities. As of December 31, 2004, we had approximately $1.9 billion of consolidated indebtedness outstanding, and our beneficial interest in both our consolidated debt and the debt of our unconsolidated joint ventures was $2.4 billion. We may incur additional indebtedness and become more highly leveraged, which could harm our financial position and potentially limit our cash available to pay dividends.

11


We cannot assure you that we will be able to pay dividends regularly although we have done so in the past.

        Our ability to pay dividends in the future is dependent on our ability to operate profitably and to generate cash from our operations. Although we have done so in the past, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to pay dividends on a regular quarterly basis in the future. Furthermore, any new shares of common stock issued will substantially increase the cash required to continue to pay cash dividends at current levels. Any common stock or preferred stock that may in the future be issued to finance acquisitions, upon exercise of stock options or otherwise, would have a similar effect.

Environmental Matters

        All of the centers presently owned by us (not including option interests in certain pre- development projects) have been subject to environmental assessments. We are not aware of any environmental liability relating to the centers or any other property, in which we have or had an interest (whether as an owner or operator) that we believe, would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, or results of operations. No assurances can be given, however, that all environmental liabilities have been identified or that no prior owner, operator, or current occupant has created an environmental condition not known to us. Moreover, no assurances can be given that (1) future laws, ordinances, or regulations will not impose any material environmental liability or that (2) the current environmental condition of the centers will not be affected by tenants and occupants of the centers, by the condition of properties in the vicinity of the centers (such as the presence of underground storage tanks), or by third parties unrelated to us.

Personnel

        We have engaged the Manager to provide real estate management, acquisition, development, and administrative services required by us and our properties.

        As of December 31, 2004, the Manager had 509 full-time employees. The following table provides a breakdown of employees by operational areas as of December 31, 2004:

  Number of Employees
Center Operations 186 
Property Management 128 
Leasing 49 
Development 35 
Financial Services 58 
Other 53 

    Total 509 

Available Information

        The Company makes available free of charge through its website at www.taubman.com all reports it electronically files with, or furnishes to, the Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after those documents are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. These filings are also accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Item 2. PROPERTIES.

Ownership

        The following table sets forth certain information about each of the centers. The table includes only centers in operation at December 31, 2004. Excluded from this table is Northlake Mall which will open in 2005. Centers are owned in fee other than Beverly Center, Cherry Creek, International Plaza, MacArthur Center, and Sunvalley, which are held under ground leases expiring between 2049 and 2083.

        Certain of the centers are partially owned through joint ventures. Generally, the Operating Partnership’s joint venture partners have ongoing rights with regard to the disposition of the Operating Partnership’s interest in the joint ventures, as well as the approval of certain major matters.

12


Center Anchors Sq. Ft. of GLA/
Mall GLA
as of 12/31/04
Year Opened/
Expanded
Year
Acquired
Ownership %
as of 12/31/04






Consolidated Businesses:                
Beverly Center  Bloomingdale's, Macy's  879,000   1982      100 %
Los Angeles, CA     571,000  

 
Dolphin Mall  Burlington Coat Factory,  1,313,000   2001      100 %
Miami, FL  Cobb Theatres, Dave & Busters,  623,000  
   The Sports Authority, Off 5th Saks, 
   Marshalls, Neiman Marcus-Last Call 

 
Fairlane Town Center  Marshall Field's, JCPenney, Lord &  1,536,000   1976/1978/       100 %
Dearborn, MI  Taylor, Off 5th Saks, Sears  646,000   1980/2000