Toronto welcomes its second Shake Shack location at Union Station, a milestone in the brand’s Canadian expansion plan. Following the highly successful launch of its first Canadian flagship location at Yonge and Dundas earlier this year, the Union Station Shake Shack introduces unique offerings, including a full-service bar and locally inspired artwork, setting it apart as a destination for both locals and visitors.

U.S.-based burger chain Shake Shack continues its Canadian expansion with two new locations in Toronto. One will be at Union Station and the other at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre. 

Following the success of its first Canadian store at Yonge and Dundas, the brand is now making strides to solidify its presence in Toronto and beyond. That includes plans to open 35 locations across Canada by 2035.

“Our new location is in the Brookfield PATH system and it marks our fourth store opening in Toronto. We are excited to expand further into Yorkville and North York, finding locations that cater to both dine-in experiences and takeout options,” says Blair Bitove, the founder of Forest Hill Farmhouse.

Iconic burger brand Shake Shack from the U.S. is making its Canadian debut in Toronto. The company has announced it is opening a 5,500-square-foot restaurant on the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas – one of Canada’s busiest intersections.

2024 is set to be a banner year for restaurant openings in Toronto, and the downtown core is standing out with the brands that are betting on an influx of return-to-office and those going into the city for events, sports and concerts.

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.

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.

The largest underground shopping complex in the world, Toronto’s 30-kilometre-long PATH system of pedestrian tunnels connects over 50 buildings in total…. At the base of First Canadian Place, a skyscraper in the city’s financial district, Karir Eyewear’s striking new flagship designed by local firm Drew Mandel Architects is an emphatic counterpoint to this architectural banality.

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.”

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. 

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.

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.