Manulife Investment Management welcomes Eataly to Manulife Centre

Eataly, La Piazza Bar

Toronto—Manulife Investment Management (Manulife) announced today the opening of Eataly's first Canadian location at Manulife Centre. Scheduled to open its doors at 5:00 p.m. today, the spacious Italian culinary destination occupies over 50,000 square feet and spans three levels of the Bloor Street retail centre. It also features over 10,000 products, seven food counters, four restaurants, and an in-house brewery.

"Manulife Investment Management is proud to be partnering with Eataly on their entrance into the Canadian market," said Ted Willcocks, Manulife's global head of asset management, real estate. "Our objective for the redevelopment of Manulife Centre was to think big and work collaboratively with our partners to bring their vision to life. We worked closely with Eataly to ensure their Toronto location not only complemented but enhanced Bloor Street's retail community and the city's vibrant culinary landscape."

Nearing the completion of an extensive $100 million revitalization, Manulife Centre has undergone a complete overhaul of its exterior, adding a glass façade, which increased its street presence and overall rentable area. The interior space has also been completely reconfigured, which includes a redesign of Birks and Indigo—two of the centre's anchor tenants.

Serving as one of Canada's first mixed-use destinations, Manulife Centre's mix of office, retail, and residential space truly aligns with Eataly's eat, shop, and learn philosophy. Encompassing 285,000 square feet of retail, 435,000 square feet of office, and 809 luxury residential rental units, Manulife Centre is currently home to flagship national brands such as Birks, Indigo, Loblaws, and Shoppers Drug Mart as well as local retail legends Bay Bloor Radio, Over the Rainbow, and Ron White Shoes.

Eataly Toronto will be open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Manulife Centre is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Individual retailer hours may vary. Please contact retailers directly or for further information, at manulifecentre.com.

About Eataly Toronto

Focused on providing high-quality, sustainable products for all, Eataly is the largest Italian retail and dining experience in the world, transforming the way consumers experience food, beverages, and retail. At Eataly, guests have the unique opportunity to experience both Italian culture and top global offerings through markets, counters, cafés, restaurants, and educational experiences. These various sections provide guests with an opportunity to explore Italy's 20 regions all in one space. Since Oscar Farinetti first opened Eataly Torino in 2007, his philosophy has spread to 40 stores across the world. In North America, these include the U.S. flagships—NYC Flatiron (2010), Chicago (2013), NYC Downtown (2016), Boston (2016), L.A. (2017), Las Vegas (2018), and Dallas (opening in 2020). Eataly Toronto, the authentic Italian marketplace, opening in November 2019, is a 50,000-square-foot culinary destination located in the heart of the Yorkville neighborhood. It will feature seven unique food counters, four restaurants, two cafés, an in-house brewery, and a market that all offer traditional Italian food in a vibrant atmosphere. To learn more about Eataly, please visit Eataly.com.

About Manulife Investment Management, real estate

Manulife Investment Management, through its real estate arm, develops and manages commercial real estate for thousands of customers around the globe. Its portfolio includes millions of square feet of office, industrial, retail, and multifamily space strategically located in major metropolitan markets.  

The real eestate team leverages its vertically integrated platform to serve its customers as well as manage the space requirements and corporate-use facilities for Manulife's global operations. 

As of September 30, 2019, the real estate portfolio totaled over 58 million square feet.1

1 Manulife Financial Corporation, 2019.

Related links: www.manulife.com

Manulife media contact

Cheryl Holmes
Manulife
Cheryl_Holmes@manulife.com
T 416 557 0945