Business in Cranbrook is steadily growing.

This last winter saw several expansions of large chains in Cranbrook BC. First being the addition of a second Tim Hortons on the strip – located in the Tamarack Mall Parking lot.

Also at the Tamarack Mall is brand new Boston Pizza. This venue is a free standing building located on the strip. A and newly expanded Shoppers which now offers groceries as well.

With all the expansion going on at the Tamarack Mall, it is little wonder that it caught the attention of Artis Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: AX.UN).

“We believe this is an ideal time for Artis to acquire high quality assets in solid western Canadian markets, assets like Production Court that enhance the overall quality and profile of our portfolio, in addition to being accretive to our unitholders,” said Armin Martens, CEO of Artis REIT.

It is an enclosed shopping centre occupied by national tenants including Zellers, Winners, Shoppers Drugmart and Staples. Together with the newly developed Boston Pizza and Tim Hortons pad sites, the centre comprises 287,741 square feet of rentable area and is 96.7% leased.

The City of Cranbrook is the largest urban community in south-eastern British Columbia. Forestry, mining, manufacturing, tourism, trade services, and transportation constitute the basis of the region’s economy.