Mall walks the walk - and wins

Canal Walk was announced as Cape Town's "Best Shopping Centre" at a star-studded gala event at the Cape Town International Convention Centre where the winners of the coveted inaugural Good Hope FM Best of Cape Town Awards were announced.

The Best of Cape Town Competition was initiated by the radio station in order to honour those people and institutions that excel in their fields, and in doing so, make us, the public, proud to be South African.

The mall's CEO, Wayne Abegglen, said, “Cape Town is certainly at the forefront of retail excellence in South Africa and to be singled out as the top shopping centre in the city is a huge honour”.

“With expectations high as 2010 looms large, it is important to honour the people, businesses and institutions that have excelled in terms of superior products and service delivery. Our success in this category is a direct reflection on the centre's ability to deliver comprehensive, desirable retail variety and service that is a cut above the rest. This is something for which we consistently strive,” says Abegglen.

What particularly pleases him is the fact that it the shoppers themselves who made the selection.

In addition to winning Cape Town Best Shopping Centre, Canal Walk was also nominated in the category of Best Architectural Design Building. Canal Walk's Woolworths also outdid its competitors, and took home the title ‘Best Retail Store'.

Good Hope FM says that the public response to the Best of Cape Town Awards was phenomenal with votes flooding in via sms, email and post.

“The Best of Cape Town Competition winners have excelled at making Cape Town a world-class African City,” says Meegan Kieffer, the radio station's Marketing Manager. She explains that the winners in all categories are nominated based on a number of important criteria such as the entrant's approach to environmental issues, empowerment and whether it cites Cape Town as the base from which they actively practise their skills and expertise.