The Ghermezian family is a Canadian family of Iranian Jewish origin who have developed several of the world's largest shopping malls. The family's holdings include the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada.[1][2] In 2011, the family's Triple Five Group acquired the troubled Xanadu Meadowlands project in New Jersey. Triple Five renamed the project American Dream Meadowlands and has announced a major expansion and revamping of the under-construction mall, now expected to open in the fall of 2013.
The patriarch of the family, Jacob Ghermezian, (1902 – January 3, 2000)[3] moved from Iran to Canada with his four sons in 1964.[4] The four, Eskandar, Nader, Raphael and Bahman grew the family rug business into a real estate and construction "empire."[4]
The Hamilton Spectator estimated the family worth at 2 billion USD in 1992.[5] In 2010, the Jerusalem Post estimated the family's worth at 4 billion USD.[6]