Lease of retail space

Customer is granted the right to use Retail Unit A. Supplier can require Customer to relocate to another retail unit. In that case, Supplier is required to provide Customer with a retail unit of similar quality and specifications to Retail Unit A and to pay for Customer’s relocation costs. Supplier would benefit economically from relocating Customer only if a major new tenant were to decide to occupy a large amount of retail space at a rate sufficiently favourable to cover the costs of relocating Customer and other tenants in the retail space. However, although it is possible that those circumstances will arise, at inception of the contract, it is not likely that those circumstances will arise.

The contract requires Customer to use Retail Unit A to operate its well-known store brand to sell its goods during the hours that the larger retail space is open. Customer makes all of the decisions about the use of the retail unit during the period of use. For example, Customer decides on the mix of goods sold from the unit, the pricing of the goods sold and the quantities of inventory held. Customer also controls physical access to the unit throughout the five-year period of use.

The contract requires Customer to make fixed payments to Supplier, as well as variable payments that are a percentage of sales from Retail Unit A.

Supplier provides cleaning and security services, as well as advertising services, as part of the contract.

Retail Unit A is an identified asset. It is explicitly specified in the contract. Supplier has the practical ability to substitute the retail unit, but could benefit economically from substitution only in specific circumstances. Supplier’s substitution right is not substantive because, at inception of the contract, those circumstances are not considered likely to arise (see Identified asset, An entity’s evaluation of whether a supplier’s substitution right is substantive).

Customer has the right to control the use of Retail Unit A throughout the five-year period of use because:

1. Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of Retail Unit A over the five year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of Retail Unit A throughout the period of use. Although a portion of the cash flows derived from sales from Retail Unit A will flow from Customer to Supplier, this represents consideration that Customer pays Supplier for the right to use the retail unit. It does not prevent Customer from having the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of Retail Unit A.
2. Customer has the right to direct the use of Retail Unit A because the conditions in Right to direct the use sub (a). The contractual restrictions on the goods that can be sold from Retail Unit A, and when Retail Unit A is open, define the scope of Customer’s right to use Retail Unit A. Within the scope of its right of use defined in the contract, Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose Retail Unit A is used by being able to decide, for example, the mix of products that will be sold in the retail unit and the sale price for those products. Customer has the right to change these decisions during the five-year period of use.

Although cleaning, security, and advertising services are essential to the efficient use of Retail Unit A, Supplier’s decisions in this regard do not give it the right to direct how and for what purpose Retail Unit A is used. Consequently, Supplier does not control the use of Retail Unit A during the period of use and Supplier’s decisions do not affect Customer’s control of the use of Retail Unit A.