Tenant Mix

Explore tenant mix in Canadian commercial real estate — how tenant selection influences traffic, synergy, and investment performance.

Tenant Mix



What is a Tenant Mix?

Tenant mix refers to the variety and composition of tenants within a commercial or mixed-use property, strategically curated to enhance customer traffic and overall profitability.

Why a Tenant Mix Matters in Real Estate

In Canadian commercial real estate, a balanced tenant mix supports stable rental income, reduces vacancy risk, and strengthens a property’s competitive advantage.



Tenant mix strategies include:
  • Combining anchor tenants with small businesses
  • Grouping complementary retailers (e.g., food + fitness)
  • Avoiding tenant redundancy or direct competition
  • Ensuring tenant types match target demographics



A successful tenant mix improves customer experience and increases foot traffic, particularly in retail plazas, malls, and mixed-use developments.



Understanding tenant mix is vital for property managers and investors optimizing asset performance.

Example of Tenant Mix in Action

The retail developer selects a grocery anchor, a pharmacy, and a café to create a well-balanced tenant mix that supports all-day customer visits.

Key Takeaways

  • Refers to the mix of tenants in a property
  • Affects customer traffic and sales synergy
  • Strategic mix reduces vacancy and boosts retention
  • Essential in commercial property planning
  • Impacts leasing and marketing success

Additional Terms

Recourse Loan

A recourse loan is a type of loan where the lender can pursue the borrower’s personal assets, beyond the collateral, in the event of default.. more

Pari Passu

A pari passu clause is a contractual provision ensuring that multiple creditors share equally in repayment priority from the borrower’s assets.. more

Non-Recourse Loan

A non-recourse loan is a type of loan where the lender’s only remedy in case of default is to seize the collateral property; the borrower is not. more

Net Operating Income

Net operating income (NOI) is the total income generated by a property after operating expenses are deducted but before taxes and financing costs.. more

Mechanic's Lien

A mechanic’s lien is a legal claim by a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier for unpaid work or materials provided for a property.. more

Lis Pendens

Lis pendens is a legal notice filed in the land registry indicating that a property is subject to ongoing litigation that may affect its title.. more

More For You

Canadian Rent Decline "Compounding" As July Sees 3.6% Year Over Year Drop
Shutterstock

Midway through what Rentals.ca is calling an "uneventful summer," the latest national rent report from the real estate listings and data platform reveals rents continued to fall in July. While dipping a nominal $4 from June, national average rent fell 3.6% year over year from $2,201 to $2,121, marking the 10th consecutive month of annual rent decline.

The $80 difference represents a continued cooling trend that took hold last fall and that has meant improved affordability for renters who were already facing extremely high rents (as well as a less fruitful times for many investors). Behind the reversal of rent growth is a record level of new supply coming online as immigration levels have been dramatically reduced, lifting vacancy rates and forcing landlords to lower rents.

Keep ReadingShow less
A rendering of the 32-storey tower proposed for 365-395 W Broadway in Vancouver.

A rendering of the 32-storey tower proposed for 365-395 W Broadway in Vancouver. / Perkins&Will, Bonnis Properties

The City of Vancouver has received a new rezoning application for a site near City Hall, according to an application published by the City on Thursday.

The subject site of the proposal is 365 and 395 W Broadway, at the northeast corner of the intersection with Yukon Street. The site is located one block east of the Canada Line SkyTrain's Broadway-City Hall Station and Vancouver City Hall.

Keep ReadingShow less
A rendering of the Bristol master-planned community set for 13301 104 Avenue in Surrey.

A rendering of the Bristol master-planned community set for 13301 104 Avenue in Surrey. / SvN Architects & Planners, Bosa Properties

After unveiling their Bristol master-planned project last year, Vancouver-based developer Bosa Properties has submitted a new rezoning application for the sprawling project, expanding on the design they proposed last year.

The subject site of the project is 13301-13355 104 Avenue and 13280-13362 105 Avenue, a 6.4-acre square property bounded by 105 Avenue on the north, a row of apartment buildings on the east, 104 Avenue on the south, and 133 Street on the west, with University Drive about half a block to the east and the Expo Line SkyTrain's Surrey Central Station about a 10-minute walk southeast from the site.

Keep ReadingShow less
The 2025 PacificWest Conference Lands In Vancouver This October

With the national housing crisis demanding sharper tools and deeper collaboration, the 2025 PacificWest Conference arrives at a critical moment.

On October 21 and 22, Western Canada’s premier real estate conference will take over the Vancouver Convention Centre East, bringing together the country’s realtors, developers, brokers, and builders for two full days of learning, dialogue, and connection.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hamilton Temporarily Lowers Development Charges By 20%
Shutterstock

On Wednesday, Hamilton City Council adopted a motion to decrease development charges (DCs) on all residential and non-residential development by 20% starting from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2027. The two-year pilot program is intended to boost housing supply and bring down home prices for Hamiltonians, but those in the development industry say the discount isn't enough.

DCs are taxes that builders pay to a city in order to help fund increased infrastructure needs that may be required as a result of growth, including services like roads, transit, water, and sewer systems. But over the last 15 years, DCs in the region and across the GTA have skyrocketed, placing additional strain on already struggling development pipelines.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Real Canadian Housing Crisis Is In How We Build
Shutterstock

For all the national introspection around Canada’s housing crisis, far too little attention is paid to the mechanics of how homes are actually built. While we debate affordability, interest rates, and migration, the real constraint on supply lies in the production system itself, one that has failed to modernize in step with the urgency of our needs.

The latest report from the C.D. Howe Institute exposes that friction with sobering clarity. Canada’s housing shortfall, it argues, is not merely the result of low output. It stems from a deeper misalignment between our stated goals: rapid, affordable, large-scale housing and the fragmented, risk-averse, low-productivity methods we use to deliver it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crestview Ushering Height Into Mount Pleasant East With 60, 65 Storeys Planned
245 Eglinton/Superkül

Plans have been filed for a lofty double tower project slated to deliver over 1,200 new residential units to Toronto's Mount Pleasant East neighbourhood. The mixed-use development would reach 65 and 60 storeys, bringing substantial height and new housing within close proximity to existing and planned higher-order transit.

The plans were submitted by Toronto-based Crestview Investment Corporation in mid-July in support of Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-Law Amendment applications to allow for increased height and density on the site. Currently, the site is occupied by a four-storey commercial and office building.

Keep ReadingShow less
Toronto Area Realtors Report Most July Home Sales Since 2021
Shutterstock

After economic uncertainty brought on by a trade war with the US quashed much of the rebound initially expected for the first half of 2025, increased home sales in July are indicating that improved affordability may be reopening the door for a substantial number of Greater Toronto Area home hunters.

After an unremarkable spring and early summer that saw GTA home sales and prices fall year over year each month while inventory grew to levels not seen in 25 years, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board's (TRREB) July data reveals sales ticked up on a seasonally-adjusted basis month over month and were up 10.9% year over year. In total, there were 6,100 home sales recorded last month — "the best home sales result for the month of July since 2021," reads the report.

Keep ReadingShow less