Mall of Africa

Mall of Africa
Alternative names MoA
General information
Status Complete
Type Shopping Mall
Architectural style Africa's geology
Location Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa
Address Magwa Crescent, Waterfall City, Gauteng
Coordinates 26°00′53.3″S 28°06′23.5″E / 26.014806°S 28.106528°E / -26.014806; 28.106528Coordinates: 26°00′53.3″S 28°06′23.5″E / 26.014806°S 28.106528°E / -26.014806; 28.106528
Construction started 28 October 2012
Opening 28 April 2016
Cost R5 Billion
Owner Attacq 80% Atterbury 20%
Technical details
Lifts/elevators 50
Other information
Parking 6500 Parking Bays
Website
http://www.mallofafrica.co.za/

Mall of Africa is a shopping mall located in Midrand, Gauteng. It is the second largest single phase shopping mall to be built in Africa[1][2] with a total retail area of 131 000 square metres, and a gross area of 550 000 square metres. The shopping mall has two main levels of shopping as well as an outside restaurant area which connects directly to the Waterfall City Park. The largest mall in South Africa is Gateway Theatre of Shopping with a total retail area of 220,000 square metres.

History

Mall of Africa was incepted to be the centrepiece of Waterfall City, an upcoming mixed-use development located in Midrand, Gauteng. Located between Johannesburg and Pretoria the Mall and Waterfall is easily accessible to most of Gauteng. Construction began in 2012 and was originally planned to open in March 2016, but was later slated to April 2016.

Opening day events

The mall was opened to the public on 28 April 2016 and resulted in heavy traffic congestion along the N1, N3 highways as well as most roads leading towards the Midrand area.[3] Some stores had opening day sales that drew hundreds of shoppers into queues extending around the corners of the shops entrance, this led to some shoppers questioning if the shops were prepared for the opening.[4]

Tenants

Mall of Africa will have anchor tenants including Woolworths, Edgars, Game and Checkers. The shopping mall will also house flagship stores in South Africa for international brands such as H&M, Cotton On and Forever 21. As well as introducing new brands to South Africa like Starbucks, Mango Man, The Kooples, Zara Home, Armani Exchange, Under Armour and Soap Stories.

Design

The mall design was inspired by Africa's geological features, as evident by its courts. The Crystal Court is located in the Northern Section of the mall, representing Southern Africa's mineral wealth with sharp geometric patterns. The Great Lakes Court is located the Eastern Section of the mall, representing the Great Lakes mostly of East Africa and has calm and gentle materials used. The Desert Court is located in the Southern Section of the mall, representing the Sahara Desert of North Africa and has calm motifs used in traditional Berber carpets. The Oleum Court is located in the Western Section of the mall, representing West Africa's Oil wealth. The Forest Walk Court is in the center of the shopping mall, representing Central Africa and its rain forests. Great lakes also represent the Nile river located mostly to the east of Africa.

References

  1. ↑ "Atterbury develops SA’s biggest single-phase shopping mall". Moneyweb. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  2. ↑ "Mall of Africa gets massive Wi Fi network". Fin24. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Mall Of Africa Opening Causes Heavy Traffic". www.enca.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  4. ↑ Appasamy, Youlendree. "Shoppers question if stores were ready for Mall of Africa grand opening". Times LIVE. Retrieved 2016-04-28.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.