Clur report reflects strengthening shopping centre trade

According to the Clur Report of SA Retail Property, sales per square metre in shopping centres - from large super regional malls to neighbourhood 'locals' - continued to grow in March. The industry barometer tracks the performance of more than 2-million square metres of retail space in South Africa and Namibia.

5 Jun 2018

Belinda Clur, MD, Clur Research International

The favourable upward trend seen since September in annualised trading densities has continued and has now broken through zero on a nominal basis, says Belinda Clur, MD of Clur Research International.

Year-on-year growth

She says the key consolidated Clur benchmark for subscribing South African shopping centres showed annualised trading density for March of R33,280 per m², representing year-on-year growth of 1.8%. The respective February figures were R33,035 per m² and 0.4%. This represents a consistent improvement on the -1.7% level reported in September 2017.

The March Clur benchmark for annualised trading density at super regional and regional centres showed year-on-year growth of 1.2% to R35,332 per m². That compared with the February benchmarks of R35,057 per m² and -0.5%.

At small regional, community and neighbourhood centres, the Clur benchmark for annualised trading density in March was R28,737 per m². That meant year-on-year growth of 3%, better than the 2.3% and R28,558 per m² reported for February.

Overall, turnover across the monitored properties grew 7.1% in March 2018 against March 2017, and was up 3.3% over the 12-month rolling period to March 2018.