2025 was a turning point for Quebec commercial real estate, and the gap between winners and losers is getting wider. In this end-of-year conversation, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Andrew Cross to unpack what actually shifted across office, retail, and industrial, and what smart owners, investors, and tenants should watch as 2026 begins. They talk about why strong malls keep winning despite the e-commerce narrative, why lower-tier office stock is being forced into conversion or repositioning, and how innovation like automation and robotics is reshaping industrial demand. The episode also previews what Espace Montreal is building next: a bigger platform for market intelligence, bilingual coverage that travels beyond Quebec, and upcoming editorial themes including energy assessments that could impact transactions and unlock major retrofit opportunities.

Topics & Timestamps

🎄 Christmas episode and why 2025 mattered (00:00)

📈 Espace momentum: 35 years, best year in publishing, and why podcasting changed the game (00:45)

🏢 Office market reset: strength returning at the top, bottom falling away, conversions and upgrades (02:25)

🛍️ Retail's reality check: foot traffic, "winners vs losers," and why people still shop in person (03:55)

🌟 Royalmount, mega luxury, and destination-making in Montreal retail (04:35)

🧩 South Shore and regional mall moves: changing hands, changing strategy (05:40)

📰 What's coming in the magazine: Q4 highlights and Q1 focus on downtown office (06:45)

⚡ Energy assessments in transactions: what's changing and the retrofit opportunity (08:05)

🧠 Building Espace as a full real estate media company: contributors, research, and new formats (10:00)

🌍 Why bilingual coverage matters: serving Montreal, Toronto, and New York audiences (12:15)

📍 Quebec City spotlight: Stephane Dion and the pulse of the market (13:45)

📬 Subscriptions and access: how to get a copy and get involved (15:10)

🖨️ Print vs digital: why the hard copy still wins in real estate offices (16:35)

🚀 2026 vision: becoming Quebec's #1 real estate media platform, plus closing shout-outs (18:55)

Andrew Cross' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-cross-b931b61/

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