Ontario–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Axis Insurance Managers Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevan Thompson as National Senior Vice President of the Construction, Contractors & Real Estate (CCRE) practice group. Kevan will lead Axis’s national CCRE practice, guiding strategy and delivery of specialized risk management, insurance, and performance security solutions to clients across Canada’s construction industry.

With more than two decades of experience, Kevan brings deep knowledge in construction risk management across project-specific insurance programs, contract review and modeling, contract surety, and subcontractor default insurance (SDI). He has held senior leadership roles throughout his career and is recognized for helping clients manage complex risks, strengthen their competitive position, and achieve lasting growth.

Axis Insurance is an award-winning brokerage offering comprehensive risk management and insurance services to local, national, and international clients. Since 1928, Axis has grown into a leading national brokerage with over 400 dedicated professionals who specialize in assessing business and personal risks, delivering solutions to mitigate, reduce, or transfer them. Axis is committed to creating tailored strategies that empower clients to embrace risk as a pathway to growth and resilience.

As a full-service brokerage, Axis specializes in commercial insurance, personal insurance, life, employee benefits, and wealth advisory services. Axis’s success stems from strategic acquisitions and organic growth, supported by 16 specialized practice groups. This collaborative approach enables the firm to deliver innovative solutions, anticipating industry shifts and adapting to evolving client needs.

Axis’s strong corporate culture encourages employee ownership, drives shared success, and fosters top performance. The company’s mission centers on transforming risk into opportunity, empowering clients to navigate uncertainty confidently and purposefully.

Contacts

Media Inquiries
Bella Bothamley

Manager, Marketing

Axis Insurance

bella.bothamley@axisinsurance.ca

Transaction reflects evolution of the QuadReal and Realstar partnership

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–QuadReal Property Group (“QuadReal”), a global real estate investment, development and operating company announced today that it has fully acquired the UNCLE brand in the UK and Europe as well as Realstar’s UK&I residential operating platform, which will be re-named.

The transaction consolidates the operating company under QuadReal. Ryan Prince will remain as CEO for the next 12 months. Following this transition period, he will move to the role of non-executive Chairman. The current team will remain to expand the business.

Established partnership

QuadReal and Realstar launched their first joint venture in 2017, expanded the relationship through asset acquisitions and, in 2021, QuadReal purchased a minority interest in the Realstar UK operating company.

Today, the platform manages nearly 6,000 residential units across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Dublin. A substantial portion of this portfolio operates under the UNCLE brand, which is known for its award-winning design, amenity spaces, and innovative resident services that offer unprecedented flexibility. UNCLE is consistently rated the UK’s top rental brand on platforms such as Trustpilot.

QuadReal will continue to expand its UK and European BTR and student housing portfolio and will leverage the well-established UNCLE brand in these markets.

This transaction does not affect Realstar’s other UK-owned assets outside the joint venture, nor does it have any impact on Realstar’s Canadian or other international activities. Following the transaction, Realstar will continue to pursue new investment opportunities in the UK and Ireland.

Global residential portfolio

Globally, QuadReal has significant experience in the residential sector. Its portfolio includes over 65,000 residential units and 28,000 student beds, predominantly in North America and Australia. In the UK, QuadReal has over 8,500 residential units and 4,500 student beds across 29 communities.

Jonathan Dubois-Phillips, President, International Real Estate at QuadReal said: “This furthers QuadReal’s global residential strategy and positions us well for future growth in both the built-to-rent and student housing markets. We have a solid residential foundation in the UK because of our partnership with Realstar, and QuadReal will continue to deliver value through operational excellence and solid portfolio and asset management.”

Ryan Prince, Vice Chairman of Realstar and founder of UNCLE, said: “I am incredibly proud of the businesses we have built, the brands we founded, and the people I have worked alongside since launching Realstar’s UK operations nearly 25 years ago. Since the establishment of our UK business, we have worked across sectors from GP surgeries to hotels, BTR, student accommodation and co- living. QuadReal’s investment, particularly over the past five years has turbo-charged our growth, and the business is now in its strongest position yet. I look forward working alongside QuadReal on the UK BTR and student fronts while at the same time seeking out new opportunities for Realstar to grow in the UK and Europe.”

About QuadReal Property Group

QuadReal Property Group is a global real estate investment, development and operating company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its assets under management are $94 billion. From its foundation in Canada as a full-service real estate operating company, QuadReal has expanded its capabilities to invest in equity and debt in both the public and private markets. QuadReal invests directly, via programmatic partnerships and through operating platforms in which it holds an ownership interest.

QuadReal seeks to deliver strong investment returns while creating sustainable environments that bring value to the people and communities it serves. Now and for generations to come.

QuadReal: Excellence lives here.

About Realstar

Founded in Canada in 1974, Realstar is a privately owned real estate investment and management company with over C$9 billion in assets spanning multifamily, hospitality, and alternative asset classes. A vertically integrated owner-operator, Realstar partners with leading institutions including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and high-net-worth families.

Active in the UK for 24 years, Realstar has acquired or developed more than £3.5 billion in assets, with a focus on overlooked and underserved sectors including BTR, primary healthcare, and hotels.

Whether for a night, a year, or a decade, the Realstar Group strives to be the most trusted owner and operator of the places our customers call home.

Contacts

FTI Consulting (QuadReal)

Giles Barrie, Bryn Woodward

0779 892 6814 / 07929 383297

Quadreal@fticonsulting.com

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (“RioCan”) (TSX: REI.UN) today announced a distribution of 9.65 cents per unit for the month of September. The distribution will be payable on October 7, 2025, to unitholders of record as at September 30, 2025.

About RioCan

RioCan meets the everyday shopping needs of Canadians through the ownership, management and development of necessity-based and mixed-use properties in densely populated communities. As at June 30, 2025, our portfolio is comprised of 178 properties with an aggregate net leasable area of approximately 32 million square feet (at RioCan’s interest). To learn more about us, please visit www.riocan.com.

Contacts

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

Investor Relations Inquiries

Email: ir@riocan.com

LADERA RANCH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”) (NYSE: SMA), an internally managed real estate investment trust and a premier owner and operator of self-storage facilities in the United States and Canada, announced its inclusion in the MSCI US REIT Index (RMZ), effective after market close on August 26, 2025.

The MSCI US REIT Index is widely recognized as a leading benchmark for the U.S. real estate sector. The index comprises equity REITs and represents a key measure of real estate performance for institutional investors and asset managers worldwide.

“We are honored to be added to the MSCI US REIT Index,” said H. Michael Schwartz, Chairman and CEO of SmartStop. “The inclusion in this leading REIT index is a significant milestone for our Company. We look forward to this opportunity to broaden our shareholder base and increase SmartStop’s visibility within the publicly traded REIT community.”

SmartStop’s inclusion in the MSCI US REIT Index is expected to further increase the company’s visibility and engagement with the investment community, especially the REIT-dedicated investment community, highlighting the company’s continued growth.

About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop):

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”) (NYSE: SMA) is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of more than 600 self-storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self-storage programs. As of September 11, 2025, SmartStop has an owned or managed portfolio of 236 operating properties in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, comprising approximately 170,500 units and 19.1 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 49 operating self-storage properties in Canada, which total approximately 41,800 units and 4.2 million rentable square feet.

Contacts

David Corak
Senior VP of Corporate Finance & Strategy

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc.

IR@smartstop.com