Ruby Liu: Billionaire Property Investor’s Hudson’s Bay Loss

There’s something about a billionaire mall owner that sparks curiosity. Weihong “Ruby” Liu made headlines in 2025 for trying to buy 28 Hudson’s Bay leases for $69.1 million—a bid that ultimately failed in court.

Net worth: Billionaire (exact figure not publicly confirmed) ·
Known as: Weihong “Ruby” Liu ·
Primary business: Chinese property investment management ·
Notable assets: Three shopping malls and a golf course in British Columbia, Canada ·
Company: Ruby Liu Commercial Investment Corp (Central Walk) ·
Recent legal case: Lost court battle to take over Hudson’s Bay store leases (2025)

Seven facts, one pattern: Ruby Liu’s wealth is rooted in real estate but her public persona is defined by a courtroom loss. Here’s a closer look at the numbers.

Where did Ruby Liu get her money?

Ruby Liu made her fortune through Chinese property investment management, according to Wikipedia (community encyclopedia). Her company, Ruby Liu Commercial Investment Corp, operates under the brand Central Walk and is based in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

She owns three shopping malls and a golf course in British Columbia, as reported by CBC News. In court, Liu argued that her mall ownership demonstrated she could run a department store—but judges were not convinced.

Real estate investments in Canada

• Liu entered British Columbia’s commercial property market before 2020, acquiring multiple retail properties (The Globe and Mail).
• Her assets include malls in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, plus a golf course (CBC News).

Ruby Liu Commercial Investment Corp

Liu chairs Ruby Liu Commercial Investment Corp’s Central Walk, a Nanaimo-based firm that focuses on real estate investment. Yahoo Finance (financial news portal) describes her as the chair of the company. The exact start date of the company is not publicly recorded.

The pattern: property investment gave her assets, but the court demanded operational experience she couldn’t prove.

How much is Ruby Liu worth?

Ruby Liu is described as a billionaire in multiple news outlets. The Globe and Mail reported that her emails claimed a personal net worth exceeding $1 billion. However, no independent audit or public financial disclosure confirms an exact figure.

Her wealth is frequently compared to that of reality TV personalities like Sophie Hermann from Made in Chelsea, but those comparisons are speculative.

Billionaire status confirmed

• Multiple Tier 2 sources refer to her as a billionaire (CBC News, Global News).
• Court documents revealed a $9.4 million deposit that Hudson’s Bay later returned (CTV News).

Comparison with other wealthy individuals

No direct ranking exists. Liu’s wealth is less transparent than that of listed billionaires tracked by Forbes or Bloomberg.

The implication: her court loss did not disprove wealth, but it exposed the limits of media consensus as a wealth gauge.

Why is Ruby Liu a billionaire?

Her wealth stems from property investment in China and Canada. She leveraged early real estate gains in China to acquire commercial properties in British Columbia, where property values have appreciated significantly over the past decade.

Property investment strategy

• Liu’s strategy appears to focus on acquiring undervalued mall properties and improving them (CBC News).
• She owns a golf course, adding a leisure asset to her portfolio (Wikipedia).

Canadian mall ownership

Her three malls are located in British Columbia. During the court case, Liu argued that this experience qualified her to operate a department store, but the judge had significant concerns about her ability to meet lease terms, as Global News reported.

The catch: mall ownership provides physical assets but not necessarily retail credibility in a legal fight.

How old is Ruby Liu?

Ruby Liu’s exact age is not listed in public records. Wikipedia provides no birth date, and no other reliable source has disclosed her age.

Age not publicly confirmed

• No government or official bio includes her birth year.
• Journalists have noted the absence of age information in all court filings.

The implication: Ruby Liu maintains a low personal profile, releasing only business information through her company.

Is Ruby Liu really a billionaire?

Multiple news outlets refer to her as a billionaire, but no independent audit of her wealth exists. Her assets—three shopping malls and a golf course—are substantial, but without a public valuation, the claim rests on self-reporting and media repetition.

Verification of wealth

• The Globe and Mail reported her email claim of wealth exceeding $1 billion.
• Court documents referenced a $69.1 million proposed lease deal (CBC News).

Public sources

The lack of a Forbes listing or Bloomberg profile suggests Liu’s wealth is not tracked by major financial indices. However, her ownership of physical assets provides some credibility to the billionaire label.

What this means: the billionaire tag sticks, but it’s based on property holdings, not audited disclosure.

What kind of store is Ruby Liu?

Ruby Liu is a person—a property investment manager—not a retail store. She owns shopping malls that house various stores, as CBC News clarified.

Ruby Liu is a person, not a store

• The confusion may stem from her name appearing in mall directories.
• Her company Central Walk operates the malls, but she does not run a retail chain.

The trade-off: Media coverage often focuses on her wealth rather than what her business actually does.

What we know and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Ruby Liu is a Chinese Canadian property investor (Wikipedia).
• She chairs Ruby Liu Commercial Investment Corp (Yahoo Finance).
• She owns three shopping malls and a golf course in British Columbia (CBC News).
• She lost a court fight to acquire Hudson’s Bay leases in 2025 (The Globe and Mail).

What’s unclear

• Exact net worth figure.
• Her age or birth year.
• Sources of initial capital.
• Personal background before business career.

The pattern: Liu’s public story is built on property assets and a single high-profile legal defeat, with large gaps in biographical detail.

In their own words: what sources say about Ruby Liu

“Liu Weihong, also known as Ruby Liu, is a Chinese property investment manager and owner of three shopping malls and a golf course in British Columbia, Canada.”

— Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)

“Weihong (Ruby) Liu is the chair of Ruby Liu Commercial Investment Corp’s Central Walk, a Nanaimo-based real estate investment firm.”

— Yahoo Finance (financial news portal)

“Ruby Liu, a Chinese Canadian mall owner, who agreed to buy them all for $69.1 million.”

— Toronto Life (city magazine)

What it all means

Ruby Liu’s story is one of cross-border property wealth meeting a courtroom reality check. For the Chinese Canadian investment community, the lesson is clear: mall ownership does not automatically translate to department store credibility. For real estate watchers, the court’s skepticism about a self-funded billionaire’s retail expertise signals that landlords demand deep operational track records, not just deep pockets.

Related reading

• Fairview Pointe-Claire Directory – A guide to one of Canada’s major shopping centres.
• Le Square Phillips Hotel and Suites: Downtown Montreal Guide – Insights into a prominent downtown Montreal property.