Eight of Atterbury’s ambitious retail projects are coming to fruition in 2014. Atterbury will open eight new shopping centres in South Africa, Namibia and Ghana over the next eight months, before the end of October 2014.
In Ghana, Atterbury Africa, which is jointly held by Attacq, Atterbury and Hyprop, will open West Hills Mall in the country’s capital Accra.
James Ehlers, MD of Atterbury Property Developments says: “Opening eight shopping centres in less than a year is no easy feat. Our team is up to the task. Many of these projects have been planned over several years to create quality assets for Atterbury and our partners. Besides developing top-notch shopping centres to benefit retailers and shoppers alike, completing these retail assets also creates new property income streams for Atterbury and our co-investors.”
The first to open, on 10 April 2014, was Waterfall Corner, a prime neighbourhood convenience centre in the landmark Waterfall Business Estate in Gauteng. Atterbury owns 14.1% of Attacq Waterfall Investment Company, the company that holds the development rights for the prestigious Waterfall Business Estate, and Attacq holds 85.9%.
Located at the main intersection of Kyalami Road and Maxwell Drive, the 10,294sqm Waterfall Corner is ideally positioned to serve the high-end residents of Waterfall, as well as neighbouring Woodmead, Kyalami and Midrand. It features Woolworths, Checkers and Clicks as anchor tenants. It also offers a vibrant public piazza at its heart, and its restaurants include Beluga, Remo’s, Life Grand Cafe, The Raj, Vovo Telo and Yamoda Sushi.
On 24 April 2014 Atterbury opened The Club Shopping Centre in Hazelwood, Pretoria. Atterbury’s full redevelopment of The Club began in January 2013, and is creating a contemporary, upscale 6,788sqm retail and leisure destination. The Club Shopping Centre is part of the mixed-use node a stone’s throw away from the prestigious Pretoria Country Club. It will introduce an exciting variety of upmarket retail close to the exclusive Waterkloof and Brooklyn suburbs. Woolworths will be the anchor tenant with Beluga, Harissa, Life Grand Café, Knead Bakery, Paul Mitchell The Salon, Essential Life, Divine Diva and Sorbet also opening at The Club Shopping Centre.
Then, on 28 June 2014, Waterfall Lifestyle Centre will open across from Waterfall Corner. Currently under development, this conveniently located centre will feature a brand-new Virgin Active gym.
September and October 2014 are going to be a busy months for Atterbury, both in South Africa and further afield. It is scheduled to open five shopping centres during these months.
Locally, it will open Newtown Junction and Bela Mall, and launch the upgrade and expansion of Flamwood Walk and Value Centre in October 2014.
Newtown Junction is located on 2,82ha of land in the heart of Johannesburg’s Newtown between the Market Theatre and Carr Street right next to the M1 Motorway. It comprises a 35,000sqm shopping centre, 40,000sqm offices, a gym and four levels of basement parking providing 2,400 bays. Newtown Junction retail will feature Pick n Pay and Shoprite as grocery anchors.
It will also include several brands in the Truworths group, Edcon group, Pepkor and the Foschini group, creating a leading shopping and fashion experience together with Sterkinekor as entertainment. Supporting the shopping centre and adding to the vibrant mixed-use development, Nedbank is consolidating its Johannesburg offices in Newtown Junction and will occupy an additional 37,000sqm.
Atterbury’s new Bela Mall will bring top shopping and dining to the town of Bela-Bela (formerly Warmbaths) in Limpopo when it opens on 23 October 2014. The 17,800sqm Bela Mall convenience shopping centre is on a prime site on the R101, near the N1 highway to Polokwane. The single level Bela Mall enjoys excellent access from all the main arterial routes in Bela-Bela and offers over 800 parking bays. It has secured a top line-up of retailers with anchor tenant Shoprite Checkers and Game, which includes several brands of the Edcon group, Foschini group, Truworths group, Pep, Chanson Fashion, MTN, Crazy Plastics and Capitec Bank, among others.
In Klerksdorp, Atterbury is completing the development of the upgrade and expansion of Flamwood Walk, which commenced in September 2013 in conjunction with Diggers Development Company and Fortress Income Fund. This project is growing the development to around 25,000sqm, which comprises Flamwood Walk measuring 20,000sqm and Flamwood Value Centre of 5,000sqm. Its anchor retailers are Game and Checkers joined by, among others, Mikes Kitchen, Checkers Liquor, HiFi Corp and Incredible Connection.
September and October will also see Atterbury open two landmark shopping centres outside of South Africa, in Namibia and Ghana.
In Namibia, Atterbury will open The Grove, Mall of Namibia which it is developing in conjunction with the Frontier Property Trust and Demushuwa Developers. The mall constitutes the largest commercial property investment ever within Namibia. The 55,000sqm mall is situated within the Hilltop mixed-use development, next to Metro and Food Lovers Market, which enjoys excellent access and is in Windhoek’s fastest growing node Kleine Kuppe. Retailers at the Mall of Namibia include Checkers, Game, Spar, Edcon, Woolworths, Sportsmans Warehouse, the Foschini group, Toys R Us, Dis-Chem, Ster-Kinekor, Pepkor, Truworths, Busby, the Platinum group, Cape Union Mart and Cotton On.
And, in Ghana, Atterbury Africa, which is jointly held by Attacq, Atterbury and Hyprop, will open West Hills Mall in the country’s capital Accra. At 27,700sqm West Hills Mall will become the largest single-phase modern shopping centre in the city. This is Atterbury’s second large venture in Ghana, the first one being the purchase and subsequent redevelopment and upgrade of the highly successful Accra Mall.
Atterbury began construction of the mall in December 2012, in conjunction with the Social Security National Insurance Trust of Ghana (SSNIT). With a prime location serving a growing population, West Hills Mall will bring top national and international retailers to this increasingly sophisticated consumer market with anchor retailer Shoprite Checkers as well as The Palace, Edgars, Jet, Truworths, Identity, the Foschini group, Mango, Silversand Cinemas, Mr Price and Woolworths.
While these eight malls are being completed in 2014, construction on the Mall of Africa, in the heart of Waterfall is also in full swing. This 130,000sqm mega-mall, comprising some 300 stores, is the largest single-phase mall yet to be constructed in South Africa. It will act as a hub around which the other amenities at Waterfall will be clustered. With its location in the new city, its sheer scale and cutting edge design will change the face of Johannesburg and Midrand. The Mall of Africa is due to open in April 2016.
“We are looking forward to the successful completion of these projects, many of which are ground-breaking and set to become landmarks in their cities,” says Ehlers.