Shopping centres that excel

(L - R) John Williamson (MDS Architecture – Mall of the North); Pierre La Haye (MDS Architecture – Mall of the North); Robert Cooper (Supercare Cleaning Services, Paarl Mall); Shafique Modak (Paarl Mall); Charmaine Benjamin (Cape Union Mart Adventure Centre at Canal Walk); Vanessa Herbst (Canal Walk, Marketing Concepts) and Christie Stanbridge (Canal Walk, Marketing Concepts).

click to enlarge

Finalists were drawn from the winners of the regional Special Star Retailer and Service Provider Awards, the Footprint Marketing Awards and the Retail Design and Development Awards (RDDA).

Winners

• RDDA - Mall of the North in Polokwane, Limpopo for architect MDS Architecture and the centre's joint owners and developers, JSE-listed Resilient Property Income Fund, Flanagan & Gerard Property Development & Investment and Moolman Group. This is the second consecutive year in which the team of MDS and Flanagan & Gerard has clinched this award.
  
• National Retailer of the Year - Cape Union Mart Adventure Centre at Canal Walk Shopping Centre in Cape Town
  
• Shopping Centre Marketing Excellence - Canal Walk's 'Snow' marketing campaign by Marketing Concepts won the award 2011, which celebrates excellence in shopping centre marketing
  
• National Service Provider of the Year - Supercare Cleaning Services for its services at Paarl Mall

Finalists

• RDDA - Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal, Pick n Pay on Nicol, Eastgate re-positioning phase one and the store design of Tasha's at The Zone @ Rosebank.
  
• National Retailer of the Year - Dis-Chem La Lucia Mall in KwaZulu-Natal, SuperSpar Sunridge Village in the Eastern Cape and Fruit & Veg City Food Lovers' Market at The Wedge in Gauteng
  
• Shopping Centre Marketing Excellence - Regional finalists from KwaZulu-Natal - 'Sugars The Bitter Truth' at Chatsworth Centre and 'The Pavilion contributes towards the building blocks of education' at The Pavilion. Wonderpark Shopping Centre's 'Please donate your Small/Big/Brown/Silver Change' represented the Gauteng region. Western Cape finalists - 'J&B Met 2011' at Cavendish Square, Canal Walk 'Gets Social' and 'Growsmart' which is undertaken at four Growthpoint Properties' centres in the province, The Constantia Village, Longbeach Mall, Golden Acre and Middestad Mall.
  
• Service Providers - Prestige Cleaning Services at Gateway Theatre of Shopping in KwaZulu-Natal, Marina Landscapers at Fountains Mall in the Eastern Cape and Life Landscapes at Lifestyle Garden Centre in Gauteng.

"Retail plays a vital role in the South African economy and shopping centres are at the heart of this significant economic activity. Furthering excellence in retail is of wide benefit and represents positive outcomes for consumers, retailers, shopping centres, service providers and the economy in general," says Amanda Stops, GM of SACSC.

"The strong pack of entries in 2011 is an indication of retail sector innovation and business savvy in South Africa. It also shows the respect in which the awards are held by the industry," she concludes.