Time to Publish Magazine for Mall Owner Simon Property

Time Inc., in its second custom-publishing deal in two weeks, said Tuesday that it will produce a specialty magazine for shoppers at malls owned by Simon Property Group, the largest U.S. owner of commercial malls.

Starting in March, the companies will publish S, a monthly magazine that will be distributed free at Simon’s 243 malls. The Indianapolis-based company owns four shopping centers in Southern California: Mission Hills Mall, Brea Mall, Westminster Mall and Laguna Hills Mall.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Last week, Time announced a similar deal with Starbucks Inc. in which it will produce Joe, a free magazine that will be available at Starbucks cafes starting in June.

Drew Sheinman, Simon Property senior vice president of marketing and business development, said S will include feature stories written by staff members of Time-owned magazines such as People and Sports Illustrated, along with regional articles. Time, a division of Time Warner Inc., publishes 36 magazines.

Jim Goss, analyst with Barrington Research, said Time’s partnerships with Simon and Starbucks reflect the company’s need to broaden brand awareness.

“What they really are trying to do here is reach fresh audiences and increase brand recognition,” Goss said.