Commercial development in Pretoria is growing fast with two multi-billion rand projects currently underway in Menlyn Park and Menlyn Maine.
Menlyn Park shopping centre is currently being transformed to become the largest shopping centre on the African continent.
The R2-billion redevelopment, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, will offer a staggering 500 shops, with 200 new shops being added to the 300 existing ones.
The redevelopment of the Pretoria based shopping centre, is set to surpass the likes of Sandton City, Gateway Theatre of Shopping and the Mall of Africa.
Menlyn Park which is owned by private company Pareto, is currently around 120,000m² in size, but will be further extended by an additional 50,000m², making the overall size of the super-regional mall approximately 170,000m². A few selected areas of the shopping centre are also set to be refurbished.
According to Pareto CEO, Marius Muller, the redevelopment of Menlyn Park is aimed at consumers who require more brands and merchandise.
Muller says that many existing tenants have demanded more space to increase their footprint, and a substantial number of new tenants have also shown an interest in opening their own stores at the centre.
“It is because of this demand, coupled with confirmed deals with retailers, that the company has committed to undertaking an investment of this magnitude,” says Muller.
As the development project plunges ahead with final adjustments, a large number of transactions with new tenants have already been concluded, expressing confidence that the investment made was worth the risk.
A comparison to the Mall of Africa:
The Mall of Africa, which is located in Midrand, Johannesburg, is approximately 130,000m² in size and offers around 300 stores. The mall has been labelled the largest mall to be built within a single phase. However, the Mall of Africa is still fairly small when compared to the likes of Durban’s Gateway Theatre of Shopping and Pretoria’s upcoming Menlyn Park development.
Menlyn Maine Central Square:
Together with the redevelopment of the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre is a second upcoming commercial development which will open its doors to the public in a few weeks. Menlyn Maine Central Square is currently undergoing a R1.8 billion construction project.
The development is co-owned by Menlyn Maine Investment Holdings and the Government Employees Pension Fund and it is set to be South Africa’s first green mixed use city precinct in Pretoria.
All of Menlyn Maine’s buildings have been designed with the aim of achieving a four-star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
This green city mega project is set to become an all new public space in the capital.
The shopping centre will boast a vibrant piazza, niche shopping, hand-picked retailers, top end restaurants, pampering outlets and commercial offices. It will also include a two-level Virgin Active classic gym, which will be the first for Pretoria.
Whilst the boutique-style mall is ready to debut this year, there is still much more to come at Menlyn Maine. These include the launch of its residential apartments and a R3 billion Time Square development of Sun International that will comprise a 5-Star hotel, conference facilities and a casino, which is set to be complete over the next few years.
Learn more of the neighbourhood here:
