NAB's Roots survey unpacks Gauteng retail habits

The motor vehicle sales figure in Pretoria East however, is by far the leader in this category with 10% of PDM's buying a new motor vehicle in the past 12 months. Pretoria's Centurion follows closely in second place with 9% while Krugersdorp and Sandton share third spot at 8% in this category.

In Gauteng, Pretoria residents appear to be the most prolific spenders, buying a range of goods from motor vehicles and digital cameras to daily vitamins, while Vaal residents prefer to do most of their shopping at River Square Mall.

Bowles suggests that those selling cutlery, crockery and home accessories are located in the right spot in the Bedfordview/Edenvale area, as 32% of all purchasing decision makers in that area have bought this category in the past 12 months, as opposed to the average Gauteng area figure of 15%! Pretoria Central ranks second with 24% followed by Boksburg at 23%.

Digital cameras are selling well in the Pretoria North & East areas with 7% of household decision makers having bought a new digital camera in the last 12 months (average - 3%). Fourways & Krugersdorp follow with 5%, followed by Randburg and Boksburg, each with 4%.

In the soft furnishings category, 34% of Pretoria Central residents surveyed have bought curtains, cushions, bedding, towels etc in the past 12 months in comparison to the average 20%. Pretoria East & North show a similar tendency at 29% followed by Kempton Park at 28%.

According to the survey, Gauteng's vitamin junkies live in Bedfordview/Edenvale and Pretoria North, with 41% of all household purchasers having bought health supplements or vitamins in the past year. Boksburg are also quite health conscious, rating 39% and Pretoria East at 36%, whilst the average was 25%.

Residents in the Pretoria North, Fourways, and Bedfordview Edenvale areas rated Gauteng's most avid shoppers with 99% or more of residents surveyed having visited a shopping centre in the past three months. 76% of Pretoria North residents shop at the Kolonade Shopping Centre, 82% of Fourways residents prefer Fourways Mall and 84% of Bedfordview Edenvale residents frequent Eastgate Shopping Centre.

Heidelberg residents seem the least likely to visit major shopping centres with only 58% of decision makers surveyed having visited a shopping centre in the past 3 months. When they do, 63% of them shop at Boksburg's East Rand Mall.

For more information on South Africa's urban retail habits, contact John Bowles at NAB on Tel: 27 11 889 0600.