Profitable stocks are harder to come by and it takes longer to make a profit. The world has to pay for the spending we have done in the last 2 1/2 years. There was a recession already expected before the pandemic. If you have been driving around you must have seen the restaurants that have closed up and the empty stores in the shopping centers. We will have several years of up and down economies around the world with some countries going into dire straits. It will be at least 5-6 years before we see a stable world economy, possibly even as much as 10-12 years.
There used to be an Italian Restaurant near Clifton Hill in the falls when I was growing up. It was called the Casa D’Oro. It changed to some Halal place, and then went vacant about decade ago. I have managed a few restaurants, and my boss at the time used to be the director of food and beverage for a massive organization. I suggested we look at and see if we can make something of it.
He advised me the building owner wanted $20,000 per month, and it was a complete Reno down to the brick structure inside. Plumbing and electric were garbage.
It kills me that anyone with a few bucks for a down payment thinks they are a real estate investor. They want crazy returns for commercial space. Amazon, Wish, Alibaba…. making it really hard for an industry that is already on the ropes due to rents.
I think Covid and the lockdowns simply expedited a process that was already happening. I think property managers and realtors are hammering the finals nails in the coffin of retail shopping without even realizing it. The experts are blind.
And HBC thinks digging up the grave of Zellers will save them.