Apple sues real estate developer to terminate lease for new Toronto Apple Store

Apple has filed a legal case with real estate developer Mizrahi Developments to terminate the lease to a new retail store in Toronto, Canada that was first rumored over a decade ago, with The Globe and Mail reporting that Apple is trying to pull away from the planned new store at what was set to be an 85-story skyscraper called “The One,” which would be Canada’s tallest building.

According to the report, Apple has shared its disappointment with the development firm after the original lease agreement was signed back in March 2016. The filings claim the deadline for Apple occupancy of the space was changed twice, pushed back from November 30, 2019 to October 31, 2021, with the iPhone maker saying it had been “looking forward to opening this new store for its customers” and that “Apple regrets that Mizrahi’s failures have resulted in Apple having to take the step of ending its relationship with Mizrahi.”

The report shows Apple Canada Inc made the filing with Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice in late January. According to The Globe and Mail, the developer says the delays are due to events out of its control, naming a plumber strike in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic as causes for why the building has slipped behind schedule.

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