The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that First Capital REIT is in a deal to split up and sell its portfolio to Choice Properties REIT and KingSett Capital. The Globe's guest columnists Rachel Wasserman and Keldon Bester write that Choice is held and controlled by George Weston, which owns a 62-per-cent interest in Choice as well as Loblaw. Grocery competition often focuses on price and variety, but real estate is key. Competing is tough without prime locations. Metro and Empire's Sobeys also leverage their position as anchor tenants to enforce property controls, limiting surrounding businesses. The Competition Bureau is investigating the use of these controls, but progress on their removal has been scarce. Loblaw talks a good game on property controls, saying their removal would "mean more stores, more discount options and a more competitive market for Canadians," yet many of its restrictive provisions remain common. Loblaw says it "released" 150 property controls across Canada and would eliminate more when "other grocery retailers agree to do the same." The Competition Bureau should conduct a thorough review of Choice's deal with First Capital to determine its effects on the commercial real estate market.