Pigeon Cafe, also known as “the world’s worst coffee”, has opened right next to the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto’s Brookfield Place.

People in Toronto are praising Union Station for becoming a “world-class” destination… Most people agreed that the vast array of restaurants, shops and activities in and around the station have made it a destination to be proud of. One user even compared the station to central transit stations in some of the largest global cities.

Toronto-based retailer Modern Golf continues to evolve its operations with plans to expand on its existing pop-up and open its first new indoor golf social experience in the heart of downtown Toronto at First Canadian Place.

Nespresso Canada has opened its 35th boutique in Canada at Toronto’s Union Station. The boutique, which opened today, is the first one in a train station in Canada, strategically located within Canada’s busiest transportation facility with about 300,000 daily visitors. The Union Station location will be the brand’s newest concept of boutique – the first in North America – with elevated services and convenience for commuters.

Neo Coffee Bar, which opened its first location in Toronto in 2015, is planning a major expansion with a number of new downtown locations as well as eventually growing the brand to other places in the region. Sari Samarah, President and CEO, Broker of Record for Value Insight Realty, which is handling Neo’s real estate needs, said the brand today has two stores and a third and fourth that’s been confirmed.

Japanese coffee brand % Arabica has opened its first downtown Toronto location at Union Station. It’s the second Canadian location for the company. The Union Station location is in the Bay Street Promenade of the Downtown Toronto transit hub, making the location accessible to commuters of the TTC, VIA Rail and Go Transit. The storefront is across the hall from Sephora, TD Bank, Decathlon, and LCBO.

Montreal-based coffee shop Pigeon has a unique and funny way to promote itself. Its tagline jokingly refers to itself as the ‘world’s worst coffee.’ Since its humble beginnings it has grown to several locations in Montreal, expanded to the Toronto market and has plans to open more locations.

The unique Sing Sing Beer Bar concept, based in Vancouver, is expanding to other parts of the country with a new location at First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto. “It’s called Sing Sing Beer Bar which maybe doesn’t give it enough justice because it’s really diverse in its product offering,” said Harrison Stoker, Chief Growth Officer for the Donnelly Group which operates Freehouse Collective. “We opened the first one here in Vancouver on Main Street (in 2019) to quite a bit of acclaim.”

Having been in the industry for well over two decades, we wanted to take the opportunity to properly introduce ourselves. Beauleigh is a Toronto-based full-service retail consulting firm and brokerage with projects across Canada. Our specialty is in conceptualizing timeless and sustainable retail environments, that will withstand future growth and development in the communities they're in.

“We are spending a million just on the patio,” Emad Yacoub was telling me the other week, giving me a peek of his soaring new resto on what used to be the TSX trading floor in Exchange Tower, on Toronto’s King Street West.

From stocks to steaks! That’s right.

NYC-based burger chain Shake Shack has announced plans to open a flagship location in Toronto in 2024, with an additional 35 locations to open across Canada by 2035. It’s a highly anticipated entry into the Canadian market that has been in the works for years. Shake Shack will be working with Beauleigh Retail Consultants for its Canadian expansion. “Beauleigh is proud to be collaborating once again with Osmington, this time in their exciting new business venture and partnership with Harlo Entertainment in bringing Shake Shack to Canada,” shared the company in a statement.

Laser Clinics Canada, part of the world’s largest cosmetic clinic group, is continuing its aggressive expansion into the Canadian market with the opening this spring of a location at Toronto’s Union Station. Neasha Schlamp, Manager, Retail Leasing with Beauleigh, executed the deal in collaboration with Kate Camenzuli, Vice President with CBRE, who represented Laser Clinics. 

Remember when Union Station had but a Cinnabon and a bunch of trains to its name? Now, in a surprising twist, the transit hub has become one of Toronto’s hottest shopping destinations, complete with numerous new shops (and more opening soon, including Almond Nail Bar), fun eatery options (bao, anyone?), and art installations like “Here Now, Here Always: Walk With Us” by Anishinaabe artist Emily Kewageshig, which is part of the station’s ongoing collab with the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.

Modern Golf, Canada’s largest custom club fitter, academy and golf entertainment facility, continues to expand across the country announcing it will be opening a new location in the new year in the iconic First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto. Taylor Borg, Director of Leasing and Development at Beauleigh Retail Consultants, represented the landlord Brookfield as part of the First Canadian Place negotiations.

The best in cannabis retail has arrived to the country's busiest building. Today, FIKA brings its renowned cannabis experience to Toronto's Union Station with the opening of a brand-new flagship location. Union Station is a National Historic Site that attracts more than 100 million visitors annually, making the opening of FIKA at Union Station a significant milestone in the emerging global cannabis industry. The location is the first retail cannabis store in the world to open in a major transportation hub.

French Sporting goods retailer Decathlon has opened a new concept store at Union Station in the heart of Downtown Toronto as part of its ongoing Canadian expansion. The 3500 sq. ft. “Decathlon City” location features a smaller footprint than a traditional Decathlon storefront and offers a ‘top-seller selection’ that draws from the 7,000 total products offered by the retailer.

Union Station in downtown Toronto continues to expand the roster of offerings as the transit hub transforms into a community destination for food and entertainment. The latest tenant to be announced is a restaurant concept by the Liberty Entertainment Group called Blue Bovine, which will open in Union Station’s East Wing. “This group is the perfect group to select to execute on this heritage location,” shared Marcelle Rademeyer, Founding Partner & CEO of Beauleigh Retail Consultants. “They have been active on the restaurant and entertainment scene in Toronto for over three decades, customizing concepts for the locations and buildings they’re in.”

The LCBO has opened a 6,944 square foot storefront in the new Bay Street Promenade section of Toronto’s Union Station. Servicing over 75,000 community members and 300,000 daily visitors, the location has 4,840 square feet of display space and features 144 linear feet of refrigerated space. Union Station LCBO also features over 1000 wines, spirits, beers, ready-to-drink cocktails and coolers. The store offers Same-Day Pickup service: orders placed on lcbo.com will be ready for pickup at the store’s express counter within two hours (if in stock).

Sephora Canada has opened its first retail store inside a Canadian transit hub – the Toronto Union Station. The new location offers Sephora’s full assortment of makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrances. Customers will be able to find Sephora’s Collection along with more than 340 other beauty brands such as Tatcha, Olaplex, and Rare Beauty. Customers will also have access to makeup and skincare services.

The iconic steakhouse brand Black+Blue, based in Vancouver and owned by the Glowbal Restaurant Group, will be opening its first Toronto establishment later this year, in a prime location at the Exchange Tower, in the First Canadian Place complex, in the heart of the city. “This year marks Glowbal Restaurant Group’s 20th anniversary, and what better way to mark this milestone than by returning home to Toronto where it all started. I am thrilled to be bringing our flagship restaurant and premier steakhouse, Black+Blue, to my hometown and to one of the city’s most iconic buildings – just steps away from where I started my career at the King Edward Hotel. I look forward to bringing old and new friends together at Black+Blue Toronto,” said Emad Yacoub, owner of the Glowbal Restaurant Group.