Walmer Park’s R75m transformation is gathering pace, with the first phase of Growthpoint Properties’ major redevelopment now complete and new brands already changing the retail mix.
Source: Supplied. Aerial view of Walmer Park Shopping Centre.
The landmark Gqeberha shopping centre has welcomed a selection of distinctive retailers, adding fresh appeal for shoppers while reinforcing its position as a leading retail destination in the Eastern Cape. But the biggest changes are still to come, with the full redevelopment on track for completion in November 2026, just ahead of the crucial festive trading season.
Gavin Jones, Head: Retail Asset Management at Growthpoint Properties, says: “Walmer Park has consistently demonstrated the trading resilience and tenant demand that justify ongoing reinvestment. The additions to the centre’s retail mix made possible by this redevelopment will help ensure that it remains the dominant retail address in the city for years to come.”
First phase brings new brands to Walmer Park: Construction began in March 2026 with the relocation and rightsizing of fashion anchor tenant Edgars. The reconfigured store, now occupying more than 2,000m² in a modern retail environment, opened at the beginning of July 2026.
At the same time, the project created a new mall area within the shopping centre, providing a rare opportunity for sought-after brands to enter an otherwise fully let centre. With excellent demand for the retail space made available by the redevelopment, the entire project, bar only 100m², is already let and finalised.
Burnt Studios and Old School, both of which are available exclusively at Walmer Park in Gqeberha, opened in July 2026 as part of the first phase of the mall revamp. Their arrival adds to the centre’s portfolio of more than 40 unique and exclusive retailers and further reinforces its position as a destination for fashion and lifestyle brands not found elsewhere in the city.
Bootlegger Coffee Company, Faro and a newly revamped Slops and Clogs also opened earlier this month. Cadi Barbor has successfully relocated to a new position at Entrance 4, between Neovision and John Dory’s.
The final addition to the first phase, Cellini, opens at Walmer Park this month.
Jones says: “The precision with which phase one has been delivered by Growthpoint’s development team, together with the contribution of the mall’s new and reimagined retail tenants, has been outstanding.”
From a development perspective, Mark Langley, Head: Retail Development at Growthpoint Properties, says delivering the first phase of the new mall area is a strong result, particularly while the surrounding shopping centre has continued trading throughout construction. “We are equally focused on delivering phase two to the same standard.”
Source: Supplied. The new Old School store, which is available exclusively at Walmer Park in Gqeberha.
Final phase set for November completion: Phase two began in mid-July 2026 and focuses on creating a seamless internal connection between Walmer Park’s growing Cape Union Mart and the new Edgars location, completing the new internal mall area.
This final phase of the redevelopment will introduce first-for-the-Eastern-Cape brands Yuppiechef, which will be full of things to make your home happy, as well as ARC, which offers the most-loved local and most-coveted global, luxury brands and products for beauty and self-care.
iStore will be opening a larger, completely redesigned, new generation store in a new location. Shoppers will also be able enjoy an upgraded Cape Union Mart featuring a brand-new layout, as well as expanded variety from a larger Totalsports in a new location. All are set to open in November 2026.
Ahead of this, Mr.DIY, the home improvement retailer founded in Malayasia and taking South Africa by storm, will open in October 2026, introducing a new retail category to the centre and broadening its offering for Gqeberha shoppers. The Mr.DIY store at Entrance 3 has been designed specifically for the concept by consolidating four smaller stores into a single retail space.
The redevelopment, the eighth upgrade in the centre’s 38-year history, also incorporates energy-efficient lighting, a rooftop solar installation and the continued supply of filtered borehole water to customers and tenants.
Growthpoint continues investment in leading retail assets: The Walmer Park project is the sixth major strategic retail redevelopment Growthpoint has undertaken recently, including the R270m upgrade and expansion of Paarl Mall, installing a further 5MW of solar power at four malls, redeveloping internal space at Greenacres Shopping Centre in Gqeberha and Vaal Mall in Gauteng as part of right-sizing the Edgars stores in both cases.
Other projects include enhancing the experience at Longbeach Mall in Cape Town by adding a Builders Express, upgrading the Pick n Pay store and increasing the size of its Food Lovers’ Market. Growthpoint also introduced a new Checkers Fresh X store to its La Lucia Mall in KwaZulu-Natal.
These investments reflect Growthpoint’s broader retail portfolio strategy of prioritising capital allocation to dominant centres with strong trading metrics and proven reinvestment potential, with a particular focus on key coastal metros.
Shoppers upbeat about expanded retail mix: Leonie Scheepers, centre manager of Walmer Park Shopping Centre, says the arrival of the new brands has already lifted the energy and curiosity within the centre.
“Shoppers are responding enthusiastically to the fresh variety that the new mall area already provides. We are proud to be bringing brands and experiences to Gqeberha that shoppers cannot find anywhere else in the city, and there is a great deal more still to come before the festive season,” says Scheepers.
