Jozini Mall to open next year

Supplied

An artists impression of the entrance of the new R140m Jozini Mall.

A new R140 million mall in the town of Jozini in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal is under construction and is scheduled to open in April.

The 18 100m2 centre is being developed by Greater Atlantic Properties and will represent Jozini’s first large one-stop retail centre when it opens next year.

According to the developers, the mall will help correct a “large undersupply of retail” in this community. Residents have been severely restricted in meeting their daily shopping needs within their own town.

Jozini Mall is set to provide convenient shopping with 45 shops, supported by more than 400 parking bays, 36 taxi bays and eight bus bays.

Gavin Tagg, of Retail Network Services, which has undertaken the retail dynamics for this project, said growth in Jozini CBD was restricted by the local topography.

“The CBD has not been able to expand with Jozini’s growing population due to space limits. Jozini is a small town on the main route to Mozambique.

“It is synonymous with Lake Jozini, formerly the Pongolapoort Dam. This small business centre provides a gateway into Maputaland,” Tagg said.

“The sheer number of shoppers in Jozini will drive spend at the mall. There are 42 000 households in the primary and secondary catchment area. This includes almost 106 000 people living in the primary catchment area and about 134 000 people staying in the secondary market zone.”

Research undertaken by Fernridge Consulting rated the site as excellent for retail development.

Tagg said its location and visibility contributed strongly to the rating. It is on the main road to the Jozini CBD, 3km from the town centre, next to a housing development in one of the most densely populated areas of the region.

“Jozini Mall will provide the community with a 3 000m2 Shoprite as the anchor tenant. There is also a relevant mix of retailers, including hardware, fashion, furniture and fast food,” Tagg said.

Retail Network Services is doing the leasing of the new mall and has handled mall projects nationwide, including the Pan Africa Shopping Centre in Alexandra, Edendale Mall in Pietermaritzburg and Jabulani Mall in Soweto.