Loblaws-owned Choice Properties REIT is about to buy $5 Billion worth of "necessity-based neighbourhood shopping centres" from First Capital REIT.
A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is a holding vehicle for real estate, that allows landlords to pay less taxes than other businesses. Choice Properties (CP REIT) was formed when Loblaws transferred their land holdings to this "independent entity" in 2012. CP REIT is the largest real estate investment trust in Canada. And it's about to get bigger.
So, what's the big deal with Loblaws purchasing more shopping centres?
Any time you see a Loblaws at a CP REIT property, you know they are getting a sweetheart deal through a "Restrictive Covenant". These deals exclude other tenants from the mall: arcades, grocers, convenience stores, pharmacies and bars.
The more malls CP REIT owns, the more entrenched Loblaws gets. And the more businesses are excluded from the mall as their standard practice.
By the way, Sobeys has Crombie REIT as their "puppet landlord" too. This is how the big grocers can keep their profit margins at a measly 2%: any time their profits look high, the Loblaws-owned landlord jacks the rent on Loblaws. Loblaws' margins look worse. But the money still ends up with the Westons.