Southdale Shopping Centre, one of Johannesburg’s oldest shopping centres, is undergoing a process of improvement.
The centre has been given a more updated feel through the use of additional colour on the painted louvres in the mall areas, as well as a variety of modern finishes.The 47-year-old centre in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg has undergone a series of improvements and upgrades over the course of its lifetime, and remains a well-supported convenience centre for both local residents and businesses, as well as residents of neighbouring areas like Soweto.
Chris van Reenen, CEO of One Property Holdings, says shortly after the inception of the project, the centre was already seeing increased footfall despite the revamp work still being underway,
“The current revamp project by 1Eighty, a subsidiary of the One Property Holdings Group, began in August 2013 and is taking place in a number of phases,” says Van Reenen.
“Since the start of the upgrade, the outdated roofs at the entrances have been removed and the interior of the centre has been better illuminated thanks to a double-volume roof in the main foyer and additional windows, which admit more natural light.”
He says the centre has been given a more updated feel through the use of additional colour on the painted louvres in the mall areas, as well as a variety of modern finishes.
Southdale Shopping Centre currently comprises a gross lettable area (GLA) of 33 000sqm - incorporating 30 500sqm of retail space and a three-storey office block of 2 500sqm, and approximately 877 parking bays
Over the last three years, a number of new tenants have been welcomed to the centre, the most recent being The Zone Fitness and Chester’s Butchery. Others include Pick n Pay Clothing, The Crazy Store, Akhalwaya’s Take Away, Pizza Perfect, Affordable Tyres, Goldwagen, Jet and a revamped Caltex filling station.“Like most centres, Southdale Shopping Centre has needed improving periodically in order to keep it fresh and relevant to its target market, and to ensure that it was able to attract the calibre of national and local retail tenants that would appeal to shoppers,” says Van Reenen.
“1Eighty is investing a total of R72 million in the latest revamp project, and believes the investment will be well received by the market.”
Van Reenen says market research revealed that the centre’s shoppers were made up of a mainly middle-class income segment, with a high percentage comprising a relatively young profile between the ages of 20 and 44 years - including families, which augurs well for the future of the centre and for potential inflows of additional shoppers.
Over the last three years, a number of new tenants have been welcomed to the centre, the most recent being The Zone Fitness and Chester’s Butchery. Others include Pick n Pay Clothing, The Crazy Store, Akhalwaya’s Take Away, Pizza Perfect, Affordable Tyres, Goldwagen, Jet and a revamped Caltex filling station.
“Improvements to the centre are by no means over, and 1Eighty will continue to upgrade both the internal and external areas of the centre over the coming months,” says Van Reenen.
In an effort to minimise wastage, he says existing building materials are being reused as far as possible, with certain elements being repurposed for new uses in the building, or else donated for use by others.
“This ‘green’ mindset extends to the incorporation of energy-efficient features in the mall, such as increasing the amount of natural light in the interior and thermally insulating all new areas to reduce electricity consumption,” says Van Reenen.
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