Office Space in Shopping Malls: The Unconventional Office Guide for Canadian Tenants | ENCOR Advisors (2026)

Canadian companies paying premium rent in downtown Toronto towers are starting to look elsewhere. And what they’re finding is surprising. Office space inside regional shopping malls across Ontario is delivering lower occupancy costs, better amenities, and stronger employee retention than many traditional Class A buildings.

Download the whitepaper to explore why mall-based office leasing is one of the most overlooked strategies available to GTA tenants today.

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Why some tenants are leasing office space in shopping malls

Office rent in Toronto is still among the highest in North America. A growing number of tenants are finding a smarter alternative, and it’s hiding in plain sight. Inside shopping malls.

From retail-to-office conversions in Ontario to adaptive reuse of former department stores, forward-thinking organizations are quietly locking in lower costs, richer amenities, and better talent access without sacrificing quality of space.

What’s inside?

Why Mall Office Space in Canada Is Undervalued

Former cinemas, basements, and back-of-house zones. The best unconventional office space in Canada is hiding in plain sight inside regional malls.

Lower TMIs and Occupancy Costs: The Financial Case for Mall Office Space

How leasing office space in a shopping mall often delivers significantly lower occupancy costs than comparable traditional buildings in Ontario.

RichnessAmenities, Transit Access, and the Employee Experience Advantage

Food, fitness, pharmacy, and entertainmentโ€”the amenity-rich environment of mall office space that are all within a short walk.

How Unconventional Office Locations Improve Retention in Ontario

The quantifiable link between transit-accessible office locations, daily experience, and retention and why it favours mall-based offices.

ENCOR Advisors specializes in strategic commercial real estate advisory for growing enterprises seeking operational efficiency, competitive advantage, and alignment with evolving market opportunities.

From traditional towers and business parks to unconventional environments like malls and adaptive reuse projects, ENCOR helps organizations make location decisions that serve their people, brand, and long-term objectives.

About the author

Hey there ๐Ÿ‘‹ I'm Mark Petznick, an Executive Vice President and a Founding Partner at ENCOR Advisors. My focus is creating strategies to reduce risk and occupancy costs within leases while creating flexibility. With 23 years of global corporate real estate (CRE) experience, I strictly advocate for office and industrial tenants.If there is anything ENCOR can help with, please reach out to me at ๐Ÿ‘‰ mpetznick@encoradvisors.com ๐Ÿ‘ˆ or feel free to connect on LinkedIn