QuickLinks -- Click here to rapidly navigate through this document

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported) February 11, 2010

THE MACERICH COMPANY
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700, Santa Monica, California 90401
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (310) 394-6000

N/A
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

---

ITEM 2.02    RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.

        The Company issued a press release on February 11, 2010 announcing results of operations for the Company for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009 and such press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.

        The press release included as an exhibit with this report is being furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 and Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed to be "filed" with the SEC or incorporated by reference into any other filing with the SEC.

ITEM 7.01    REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.

        On February 11, 2010, the Company made available on its website a financial supplement containing financial and operating information of the Company ("Supplemental Financial Information") for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2009 and such Supplemental Financial Information is furnished as Exhibit 99.2 hereto.

        The Supplemental Financial Information included as an exhibit with this report is being furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed to be "filed" with the SEC or incorporated by reference into any other filing with the SEC.

ITEM 9.01    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

        Listed below are the financial statements, pro forma financial information and exhibits furnished as part of this report:

(a), (b) and (c) Not applicable.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit Index attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.

2

---

SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, The Macerich Company has duly caused this report to be signed by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized, in the City of Santa Monica, State of California, on February 11, 2010.

3

---

EXHIBIT INDEX

4

---

QuickLinks

ITEM 2.02 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.
ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.
ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

SIGNATURES
EXHIBIT INDEX

QuickLinks -- Click here to rapidly navigate through this document

Exhibit 99.1

PRESS RELEASE

MACERICH ANNOUNCES FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS

        Santa Monica, CA (2/11/10)—The Macerich Company (NYSE Symbol: MAC) today announced results of operations for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 which included total funds from operations ("FFO") diluted of $92.7 million or $.90 per share-diluted, compared to $1.92 per share-diluted for the quarter ended December 31, 2008. During the quarter ended December 31, 2009, an impairment charge of $6.7 million or $.07 per share was incurred. During the quarter ended December 31, 2008, there was a gain on early extinguishment of debt of $84 million or $.95 per share. For the year ended December 31, 2009, FFO-diluted was $344.1 million, or $3.70 per share-diluted compared to $461.5 million or $5.22 per share-diluted for the year ended December 31, 2008. Net loss available to common stockholders for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 was $14.4 million or $.18 per share-diluted compared to net income available to common stockholders of $50.9 million or $.67 per share-diluted for the quarter ended December 31, 2008. For the year ended December 31, 2009, net income available to common stockholders was $120.7 million or $1.45 per share-diluted compared to $161.9 million or $2.17 per share-diluted for the year ended December 31, 2008. The Company's definition of FFO is in accordance with the definition provided by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"). A reconciliation of net income to FFO and net income per common share-diluted ("EPS") to FFO per share-diluted is included in the financial tables accompanying this press release.

Recent Activity:

•

During 2009, the Company completed the sale of 25 non-core assets for net proceeds of $151 million. Eight of those transactions, totaling $73 million in net proceeds, closed in the fourth quarter.



•

On October 27, 2009, the Company closed a common stock offering of 13.8 million shares that raised net proceeds of $383 million.



•

During 2009, the Company reduced its overall debt by $1.36 billion. The deleveraging resulted from applying cash from operations, joint venture transactions, non-core asset sales and the equity offering in October.



•

Portfolio occupancy at December 31, 2009 was 91.1% compared to 92.3% at December 31, 2008.



•

Tenant sales per square foot were $407 for the twelve month period ended December 31, 2009 compared to sales per square foot of $441 for the year ended December 31, 2008.

        Commenting on the quarter and the year, Arthur Coppola chairman and chief executive officer of Macerich stated, "Much of our focus throughout the year was on improving our balance sheet. That effort has paid off with a significant debt reduction resulting from the execution of our capital plan. Our capital plan for 2009 included joint venturing existing assets, selling non-core assets, issuing stock

---

dividends and a major equity issuance. During the year we generated over $1.14 billion in cash that has been applied towards our de-leveraging goals."

Redevelopment and Development Activity

        The Company recently announced deals with Tory Burch, Ben Bridge Jewelers and Charles David for the new Santa Monica Place, slated to open August 2010 with anchors Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.

        The new Northgate Mall, Macerich's 722,948-square-foot property in Marin County, California, opened on November 12, 2009. New anchor Kohl's was joined by retailers H&M, BJ's Restaurant, Children's Place, Chipotle, Gymboree, Hot Topic, PacSun, Panera Bread, See's Candies, Sunglass Hut, Tilly's and Vans.

        Macerich is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 89% ownership interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns approximately 75 million square feet of gross leaseable area consisting primarily of interests in 72 regional malls. Additional information about Macerich can be obtained from the Company's website at www.macerich.com.

Investor Conference Call

        The Company will provide an online Web simulcast and rebroadcast of its quarterly earnings conference call. The call will be available on The Macerich Company's website at www.macerich.com (Investing Section) and through CCBN at www.earnings.com. The call begins today, February 11^th at 10:30 AM Pacific Time. To listen to the call, please go to any of these websites at least 15 minutes prior to the call in order to register and download audio software if needed. An online replay at www.macerich.com (Investing Section) will be available for one year after the call.

        The Company will publish a supplemental financial information package which will be available at www.macerich.com in the Investing Section. It will also be furnished to the SEC as part of a Current Report on Form 8-K.

        Note: This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Stockholders are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to vary materially from those anticipated, expected or projected. Such factors include, among others, general industry, economic and business conditions, which will, among other things, affect demand for retail space or retail goods, availability and creditworthiness of current and prospective tenants, anchor or tenant bankruptcies, closures, mergers or consolidations, lease rates and terms, interest rate fluctuations, availability, terms and cost of financing and operating expenses; adverse changes in the real estate markets including, among other things, competition from other companies, retail formats and technology, risks of real estate development and redevelopment, acquisitions and dispositions; the liquidity of real estate investments, governmental actions and initiatives (including legislative and regulatory changes); environmental and safety requirements; and terrorist activities which could adversely affect all of the above factors. The reader is directed to the Company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which discussion is incorporated herein by reference. The Company does not intend, and undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events unless required by law to do so.

(See attached tables)
##

---

THE MACERICH COMPANY

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

Results of Operations:

1

---

THE MACERICH COMPANY

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

Results of Operations:

2

---

THE MACERICH COMPANY

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

(a)

The following dispositions impacted the results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2009 and 2008:

On April 25, 2005, in connection with the acquisition of Wilmorite Holdings, L.P. and its affiliates, the Company issued, as part of the consideration, participating and non-participating convertible preferred units in MACWH, LP. On January 1, 2008, a subsidiary of the Company, at the election of the holders, redeemed approximately 3.4 million participating convertible preferred units in exchange for the distribution of the interests in the entity which held that portion of the Wilmorite portfolio that consisted of Eastview Commons, Eastview Mall, Greece Ridge Center, Marketplace Mall and Pittsford Plaza ("Rochester Properties"). This exchange is referred to as the "Rochester Redemption." As a result of the Rochester Redemption, the Company recorded a gain of $99.1 million and classified the gain to discontinued operations.

On December 19, 2008, the Company sold the fee simple and/or ground leasehold interests in three freestanding Mervyn's buildings to the Pacific Premier Retail Trust joint venture for $43.4 million. As a result of the sale, the Company has classified the results of operations to discontinued operations for all periods presented.

During the twelve months ending December 31, 2009, the Company sold six non-core community centers for $83.2 million and sold five Kohl's stores for approximately $52.7 million. As a result of these sales, the Company has classified the results of operations to discontinued operations for all periods presented.

(b)

On January 1, 2009, the Company adopted new accounting standards associated with convertible debt. As a result, the Company retrospectively applied the standards to the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2008 resulting in an increase to interest expense of $3.1 million and $13.8 million, respectively, a decrease in gain on early extinguishment of debt of $11.1 million and $11.1 million, respectively, and a decrease to net income available to common stockholders of $12.3 million and $21.4 million, respectively, or $0.14 per share and $0.25 per share, respectively. In addition, FFO decreased for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2008 by $14.3 million and $24.9 million, respectively, or by $0.16 per share and $0.28 per share, respectively.

(c)

This represents the outside partners' allocation of net income in the Chandler Fashion Center/Freehold Raceway Mall joint venture.

(d)

On February 25, 1998, the Company sold $100 million of convertible preferred stock representing 3.627 million shares. The convertible preferred shares were convertible on a 1 for 1 basis for common stock.

On October 18, 2007, 560,000 shares of convertible preferred stock were converted to common shares. Additionally, on May 6, 2008, May 8, 2008 and September 18, 2008, 684,000, 1,338,860 and 1,044,271 shares of convertible preferred stock were converted to common shares, respectively. As of December 31, 2008, there was no convertible preferred stock outstanding.

The preferred shares were not assumed converted for purposes of net income per share—diluted for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008 as they would be antidilutive to the calculation. The weighted average preferred shares are assumed converted for purposes of FFO per share—diluted for 2008.

(e)

The Macerich Partnership, L.P. (the "Operating Partnership" or the "OP") has operating partnership units ("OP units"). OP units can be converted into shares of Company common stock. Conversion of the OP units not owned by the Company has been assumed for purposes of calculating the FFO per share and the weighted average number of shares outstanding. The computation of average shares for FFO—diluted includes the effect of share and unit-based compensation plans and convertible senior notes using the treasury stock method. It also assumes conversion of MACWH, LP preferred and common units to the extent they are dilutive to the calculation.

(f)

The Company uses FFO in addition to net income to report its operating and financial results and considers FFO and FFO-diluted as supplemental measures for the real estate industry and a supplement to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") measures. NAREIT defines FFO as net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains (or losses) from extraordinary items and sales of depreciated operating properties, plus real estate related depreciation and amortization and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures are calculated to reflect FFO on the same basis. FFO and FFO on a fully diluted basis are useful to investors in comparing operating and financial results between periods. This is especially true since FFO excludes real estate depreciation and amortization, as the Company believes real estate values fluctuate based on market conditions rather than depreciating in value ratably on a straight-line basis over time. FFO on a fully diluted basis is one of the measures investors find most useful in measuring the dilutive impact of outstanding convertible securities. FFO does not represent cash flow from operations as defined by GAAP, should not be considered as an alternative to net income as defined by GAAP and is not indicative of cash available to fund all cash flow needs. The Company also cautions that FFO as presented, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other real estate investment trusts.

Gains or losses on sales of undepreciated assets and the impact of amortization of above/below market leases have been included in FFO. The inclusion of gains on sales of undepreciated assets increased FFO for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 by $1.3 million, $4.6 million, $0.3 million and $3.8 million, respectively, or by $0.01 per share, $0.05 per share, $0.00 per share and $0.04 per share, respectively. Additionally, amortization of above/below market leases increased FFO for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 by $3.3 million, $13.7 million, $14.2 million and $27.4 million, respectively, or by $0.03 per share, $0.15 per share, $0.16 per share and $0.31 per share, respectively.

3

---

THE MACERICH COMPANY

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

Pro rata share of joint ventures:

4

---

THE MACERICH COMPANY

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)