Plazas, strip centres, street-front retail buildings and mixed-use properties for investors and owner-users across Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
Retail Plazas for Sale in Ottawa
Retail investment
Buying a retail plaza in Ottawa
With neighbourhood and community centre vacancy at 1.4% in H1 2026, well-located Ottawa plazas have been full and rents have been rising. Daily-needs tenants such as grocery, pharmacy, medical, food and services have kept these centres busy.
A plaza is only as strong as its tenants and leases. We review each tenant's business, lease term, rent compared with market, renewal options and recovery of costs, and look at the building's condition and the land underneath for future potential.
See our full retail real estate services.
4.5%
overall Ottawa retail vacancy, H1 2026
$44.73
average asking gross rent per sq ft
1.4%
vacancy in neighbourhood and community centres
0.1%
vacancy in Orléans retail
Live MLS® listings
Retail property for sale in Ottawa
Updated automatically from MLS®. Many plazas trade in the pre-market.
Due diligence
What we review on a retail property
Tenant mix
Daily-needs and service tenants versus discretionary retail, and how they support each other.
Lease audit
Terms, renewals, exclusives, co-tenancy clauses and rent compared with market.
Recoveries
How taxes, insurance and common costs are recovered from tenants, and any shortfall.
Income and NOI
Actual net operating income, vacancy allowance and the cap rate it supports.
Building and site
Roof, paving, HVAC units and parking lot condition, and any environmental history.
Future potential
Pad sites, intensification or mixed-use redevelopment under the zoning.
Market context
Ottawa retail investment today
Investors continue to favour grocery-anchored and service-oriented plazas for their steady income. Larger formats are being repositioned: the former Hudson's Bay flagship on Rideau Street sold in June 2026, with speculation about mixed-use redevelopment.
Market figures: Cushman & Wakefield, Ottawa Retail MarketBeat, H1 2026. Asking gross rents; figures change each period.
Investors look for
- Daily-needs anchors and service tenants
- Staggered lease expiries
- Rents at or below market
- Strong recoveries of operating costs
- Land with long-term redevelopment value
Explore
More Ottawa retail real estate
Retail space for lease
Storefronts, plaza units and street retail across Ottawa.
Restaurant space
Restaurant, café and food service locations.
Selling a retail property
How we help owners prepare, evaluate and sell.
Leasing your retail space
How we help landlords lease vacant units.
Ottawa Retail Investment FAQs
How do you value a retail plaza?
On its income: net operating income from actual leases and recoveries, a market cap rate supported by comparable sales, and adjustments for lease risk and building condition.
What makes a plaza a safer investment?
Daily-needs tenants, long and staggered leases, good recoveries and a strong location. We review each of these before you buy.
Can I buy a building and occupy part of it?
Yes. Many owner-users buy a small plaza or mixed-use building, occupy one unit and lease the rest.
Do you help sell retail properties?
Yes. We help owners prepare an investment pro forma, evaluate value using best practices and market the property in the pre-market and then publicly.
Mitch Gauzas, REALTOR®
