Session C1:
The Pressures and Continued Evolution of the Retail Market: Does Anyone Know Where This is Heading? Will There Inevitably be Strong Winners and Weak Losers?
No other real estate property class has attracted as much chatter in recent years as retail. Once a favourite of investors, this asset class is now facing many increased challenges. We have all watched Canadian, U.S. and European retailers opening stores, closing them or looking for fresh approaches to their formats. While there is a range of views on how online shopping is impacting the Canadian retail market, it is clear that the landscape is shifting. How are regional malls performing vs. power centres vs. strip centres vs. grocery anchored centres vs. urban retail? What are national retailers and landlords doing in this highly competitive market to retain the vitality of personal shopping experiences? Some analysts are offering dire forecasts for the future of older malls as changing demographics and buying habits negatively affect poorer quality properties. This session will examine these and other trends, and discuss the facts and fallacies pertaining to the evolution of the Canadian retail real estate market from an investor, developer and retailer perspective.
Moderator:
Nurit Altman, Director,
RBC Capital Markets Real Estate Group
Panel:
Marco Ding, Director, Real Estate Investments,
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
Sal Iacono, Executive Vice President, Operations,
The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited
Patrick Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer,
Primaris Management
Theresa Warnaar, Senior Vice President, Retail,
KingSett Capital
Sam Winberg, Senior Retail Advisor, JLL and Principal, Retail Ventures CND Inc.