The hapless tenants of Aladdin Mall

The desert aisle mall will be named "desert aisle," according to disgruntled retailers at luxury malls around the Aladdin Mega Resort.

Retailers argue that Aladdin, which is adjacent to mall management, is not pulling the number of pedestrians promised when it signs high leases.

Indeed, at a meeting on Friday morning, I wondered aloud how mall managers would react if tenants collectively refused to pay rent until it changed.

Many of the 70 tenants in attendance said desert aisles managers were not good at advertising malls, had failed to sign strong anchor tenants and were planning disruptive events in storefronts that diverted visitors.

In a telephone interview after the meeting, Jim Harris, general manager of Desert Pagoda, said some tenants had expressed concerns that sales were below the personal expectations of certain stores, but downplayed the size of the tenant issue.

"I have met many retailers and have been able to resolve these issues in negotiations," Ms. Harris said. "It's a two-way street. How may I help you? And how can you increase sales on your own?"

But many tenants say the number of visitors to the mall is not as high as most promised in August, when they signed a lease. Many retailers dispute what mall managers say is the average daily volume of 54,000.

"You can't have 40,000 to 60,000 pass by a day. The Dodger Stadium (in Los Angeles) can accommodate 55,000 people," said a tenant who asked not to be named. "They should call it a walkway."

Ms. Harris said Triezek Hansa of Toronto, the co-owner of Desert Passage, spent $250,000 on an elaborate calculating device that counts the number of people entering the mall at nine entrances.

The Sommer Family Trust owns a third of Desert Passage, with Trizec Han owning the rest. The Sommer Trust is the largest shareholder of Aladdin. "Some days the number of visitors is better than others," Harris said. "Some days are as low as 30,000, but others, like Fridays after Thanksgiving, were 80,000."

Analysts say the desert aisles and Aladdin have been struggling for a number of reasons since they opened on Aug. 17. One reason analysts cite is the cultural clash between luxury retailers attached to hotel casinos that cater to middle-income visitors. Aladdin officials did not return phone messages.

One financial analyst also pointed to the problem of oversupply of retail along the Las Vegas Strip. "Adding another 500,000 square feet of retail to the strip is overkill," said Harry Curtis, a financial analyst at investment bank firm Robertson Stevens. The 70 tenants who attended the meeting represented 50 of the mall's 124 stores and restaurants. The tenants say their annual rent ranges from $70 to $250 per square foot, and it depends on the type of business, location, store, or restaurant size. The tenants also pay for the mall's maintenance, which is 20% of the rent.

Friday's meeting came after Trizec Han Corp. announced plans to sell shares in Desert Passage in about a year. Harris said Trizec Han planned to sell its stake because it wanted to focus on managing office buildings, a key business for the company. The planned sale also infuriated tenants.

Bob Massi, a lawyer in Las Vegas, led the meeting Friday to give retailers directions on how to negotiate solutions with mall owners. He suggested the group form a tenant association headed by an advisory committee to gather common complaints from retailers. The board would then follow up by scheduling meetings with mall owners to negotiate changes.

"I hate being in court of law the most because it gets ugly and it's expensive," Masi said. "If you can't schedule a meeting with them the next step is to go to mediation."

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