A note from Jon

A busy summer has come to an end and the commercial real estate industry now sharpens its focus and channels its energy to move markets forward. While there is hard work to be done in the months ahead, there is nothing we cannot achieve or overcome together!

I am so proud of the collaboration and creative ideas I see creating positive real estate outcomes in communities from coast to coast despite rising interest rates and slowing economic growth. It is also inspiring to see the incredible generosity exhibited by our partners in recent months.

While transaction volumes may have slowed, charitable events and giving certainly have not. CBRE held its 30th Annual Charity Golf Classic outside of Toronto in mid-September and raised over $100,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Thank you so much to our sponsors and over 200 attendees for making our 30th outing such a success! More than $1.5m has been raised from this event over the years for charities across Canada, a proud accomplishment for CBRE Canada.

The next major industry event is ICSC Canada, which brings retailers and advisors from around the world to Toronto at the beginning of October. The retail sector is the posterchild for resilience. From pandemic doldrums to uncharted dynamism, the retail sector reminds us all that business is cyclical and better times are always around the corner.

That’s why this edition of Advantage Magazine is dedicated to all things retail!

We have features on the resurgence of the retail sector in the prairies as a commodity boom fuels retail sales growth, as well as a deep dive on the much anticipated revitalization of Rue Sainte-Catherine in Montreal, which is bringing new life to this famous high street.

Speaking of boomtimes, the surge of new residents to Atlantic Canada is creating incredible new opportunities for retailers in Halifax and across the region. We also dig into grocery store competition and food pricing from a commercial leasing perspective.

No matter what property type or asset class you are focused on, we hope that you will find this edition of Advantage Magazine useful for your business ventures.

Let’s stay committed to doing all we can to help each other remain positive and lead our industry and communities to their maximum potential!