Calgary-based Mancal Properties continues to expand its industrial real estate portfolio with the acquisition of Barlow Crossing in Calgary, which consists of 378,000 square feet across five buildings and two complementary retail components.

Patrick Briscoe, Mancal Properties president, told RENX the property in southeast Calgary was purchased from Remington Development Corporation.

“We thought it was a very good opportunity to get something of this size and scale and top quality of build in the location,” he said. “We’ve traditionally held a lot of real estate in the Foothills industrial area and when this opportunity presented itself it was hard to turn down, being one of the premier locations in the city.

“It was kind of a milestone acquisition for Mancal Properties. It just kind of forms a great cornerstone asset for our portfolio. We acquired an amazing property.”

Financial details were not disclosed.

He said the acquisition underscores Mancal’s commitment to owning institutional-quality real estate in strategic urban markets. Barlow Crossing offered a large-scale, modern industrial portfolio in one of Calgary’s most established logistics and distribution corridors, and it aligns squarely with Mancal’s long-term investment strategy.

Briscoe said the purchase is viewed as highly strategic given ongoing tenant demand for high-specification industrial space, limited availability of comparable new supply, and the asset’s long-term adaptability within a growing employment district. 

Barlow Crossing a new-build property

Barlow Crossing was developed between 2019 and 2024 to institutional-grade specifications. The property is located at the intersection of Barlow Trail and 90th Avenue S.E., one of Calgary’s most established and highly accessible industrial corridors.

The asset is widely regarded as class-A, featuring modern concrete pre-cast construction, high clear heights, efficient loading configurations, and contemporary building systems. Its scale, functionality and location position it among the most sought-after industrial portfolios in the southeast Calgary market, Mancal said.

Briscoe said Mancal was founded 26 years ago and is a private real estate company, traditionally holding industrial assets in Alberta.  It also has some residential development with construction underway for 191 units in the Marda Loop neighbourhood – its first foray into the residential space.

Briscoe said Mancal’s portfolio is close to 1.5 million square feet across the province with about 22 buildings. The majority of its portfolio is based in Calgary with real estate holdings as well in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and in Phoenix, Az. 

He said Barlow Crossing is 98 per cent occupied. The major tenants include Cascades, Behr Paints, Schneider Electric, Alberta Health Services and Value Village. There is also a Calgary Co-op Gas bar and a quick service retail component of the site.

“We do have some vacant space to sell in the quick service retail, or commercial retail component,” Briscoe said. “The building is fairly new. That building was completed in 2024. Then we’re going to be working on a vacant restaurant pad site there as well. We see some opportunities to bring some good services to the area. I’ve already got some good initial response back from the market for that site.” 

Calgary's industrial market remains tight

Briscoe said the industrial real estate market in Calgary is very tight right now.

“There’s not a lot of availability. We’re seeing really strong demand. For Barlow Crossing it was one of the key selling factors. It’s a diverse building mix in there. In the market, we’re seeing smaller spaces being in very high demand - uses under 5,000 square feet which no one is really building right now.

“So when you can get your hands on product in that capacity it will perform quite well.”

Briscoe said Calgary has grown significantly in recent years.

“Industrial to service the growing population, we see that as being pretty consistent,” he said. “There is still a lot of demand in the market and with that a lot of investment coming into Calgary. It should not change things in the short term in our opinion.”

Briscoe said Mancal is always looking to grow and acquire additional properties. 

“Our home base has been Calgary for 26 years of our operating and we’ll continue to be there. It’s our backyard and a great place to be.”

Mancal Properties is part of the Mancal Group which includes Mancal Energy, Manvest and Mancal Coal. The Mannix family is behind the Mancal Group.