SA shopping centres in running for 'retail oscars'

The council, the global association for the retail real estate industry, has nominated four projects - two from each of the centres - as finalists for the 2004 Maxi awards, the "Oscars" of shopping centre marketing. The awards will be announced in September.

This is the third year in succession that projects at the two centres have been chosen as finalists, says Brent Wiltshire, retail property executive of Old Mutual Properties which manages Gateway and Menlyn Park. "No other centre in South Africa has ever made the finals."

The Gateway projects were the staging of shows featuring Barney, the popular children's character, and hosting Africa's longest breakfast table which raised R90 000 for the Reach for a Dream Foundation. The foundation helps realise the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Menlyn Park is a Maxi finalist for its staging of the 10th annual Vukani fashion awards, a showcase for up and coming young African designers, and of Boktown, which brought the environment of a Springbok rugby test to shoppers.

The Reach for a Dream project at Gateway is a finalist in the community relations category. The other projects are in the category for sales promotion, where entries are assessed for their impact on shopper flow and overall tenant turnover.