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Retail condo units allow small tenants to co-exist next to larger, anchor tenants. Developers hope the new mix will distinguish their malls from competitors

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Westwood Square is one of a handful of Canadian projects where owner-developers are rethinking the traditional shopping mall formula.Fieldgate and Plazacorp

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The developers of Westwood Square are transforming a vacant Zellers store in a mall in Mississauga, a western suburb of Toronto. The redeveloped space is being marketed as a South Asian mall.Fieldgate and Plazacorp

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The second-floor food court is surrounded by food outlets and retail shops. Unit sizes in the mall range from 55 to 550 square feet.Fieldgate and Plazacorp

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Aberdeen Square is a 160,000-square-foot retail and office space addition to the Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, B.C.Aberdeen Square

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Investors from mainland China snapped up 95 per cent of the retail condo units that were offered for sale, with many buyers taking more than one unit. Investors like the property’s connection to Metro Vancouver’s Canada Line rapid transit system.Aberdeen Square

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Aberdeen Square was completed this past summer and features more than 300 units averaging 400 square feet each.Aberdeen Square

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The proposed Remington Centre, in Markham, Ont., north of Toronto, will offer a mix of Asian-themed retail with mid- to higher-end mainstream retailers.Remington Group

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The 800,000-square-foot mall will have a centralized performance area that will accommodate more than 1,000 guests for cultural and community events.Remington Group

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Remington Group says it has sold about 60 per cent of the retail condo units, however the mall is years away from completion. Demolition of the building that currently occupies the site likely won’t start until the end of 2014.Remington Group

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Remington Group intends to duplicate the popularity of Asian night markets – summer events where visitors enjoy cultural performances and sample authentic Asian street foods – by keeping a portion of the mall open until 3 a.m.Remington Group

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