It consists of 30 new retailers, including a new-concept Game store, Geen & Richards, Dial-A-Bed and Beares stores, brings the total gross lettable area (GLA) of the centre to 70 000m², with another 20 000m² of bulk still available for the next phase.
“We are very excited to be adding four strong brands to our current retail offering thereby providing our shoppers with a more comprehensive and holistic shopping experience,” says Ismail Valli, co-owner of the mall.
To mark the launch of Phase Two, Trade Route Mall will be giving one lucky shopper a home make-over to the value of R50 000 courtesy of Geen & Richards, Beares and Dial-A-Bed during the launch period.
According to Sayed Mia, the other co-owner, the mall has shown consistent growth during its first three years, and, despite the current economic downturn, has enjoyed month on month growth. “This expansion could not have come at a better time for us - we feel it is a feather in our cap the fact that Mass Mart has such confidence in us and are expecting to reach record opening figures.”
“We strongly feel that we can attribute the success to a number of factors,” explains Valli. “Before embarking on this journey of development, we conducted detailed research and having ascertained the size of the market, and the demands and needs of the residents, we opted not to develop beyond what was sustainable, reasonable or achievable.
“We have always believed in giving back to the community and try to support as far as possible the upliftment of the members of Lenasia and the surrounding areas - thus the inclusion of the Emporium, an area where smaller traders can access the Mall's business at an affordable rate,” explains Mia. “The idea of the Emporium was to allow previously disadvantaged traders the opportunity to learn and gain retail knowledge. With our expansion we were able to incorporate a few of these traders into fully fledged retail outlets giving them the opportunity to now enter the retail environment with pride and an understanding of how to run their businesses in this capacity.”
The opening of Phase Two Trade Route Mall has generated new job opportunities for approximately 1000 permanent and temporary staff thereby supporting and investing further in the local community.
