The dynamic real estate investment trust RioCan is an ever present force in South Bayview. With headquarters at Yonge St and Eglinton Ave., RioCan owns the property at Laird Dr. and Eglinton E. That’s the Leaside Centre. It also owns the Sunnybrook Plaza and will shortly take over at the yet-to-be-built 1860 Bayview Ave., home of a new Whole Foods store. RioCan has been under pressure since early May as the market tanked. Still, there is advice from many informed sources that this diverse and widely-spread firm is a very good hold. This article is from the Globe and Mail. Rio.Can prospects. A measure of RioCan’s agility is its re-making of the out-dated Blue Mountain Mall in Collingwood. RioCan has permission from town council to revitalize the mall by demolishing some of it and using the inside corridors for retail space. It sounds like more of the mall’s doors will be on the outside of the complex. RioCan says it is converting a mall into a plaza. This conjurers up storefronts on the parking lot rather than inside. It seems a smart move as retailers frequently say there is nothing so good for business as having your door on main street.
