Robert K. Futterman, left, chairman and CEO of RKF with Steven Alikakos, president, Canada for RKF.

RKF, an independent real estate firm in the United States specializing in retail leasing, investment sales and consulting services, is opening its first cross-border office in Toronto.

The RKF Toronto office will be led by Canadian retail services veteran Steven Alikakos, who will serve as Canadian president and be the firm’s broker of record once it receives its license. RKF’s expansion comes a few weeks after the firm formalized an affiliation with U.K. – based retail consulting firm CWM Retail Property Advisors.

The firm says a growing number of major American retailers have launched stores north of the border in recent years, and retail analysts expect that trend to increase over the next few years as competition in the U.S. retail market continues to intensify. The U.S. has also seen a wave of expansions from Canadian retailers. RKF says it “will play a pivotal role in sustaining and accelerating this cross-border retail migration.”

Alikakos has more than 22 years of retail leasing expertise. He most recently served as senior vice-president and senior manager at DTZ Canada (formerly J.J. Barnicke) and led the firm’s retail department across Canada.

“The retail market in Canada has needed a service provider of this calibre for some time, and I’m confident RKF will make a tremendous impact,” says Alikakos.

RKF has offices in Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Northern New Jersey and San Francisco. The firm currently consists of 125 real estate professionals and support staff. It serves a broad spectrum of domestic and global clients in services ranging from national tenant and owner representation to advisory, consulting and dispositions.