The highly anticipated super-regional Cradlestone Mall opened its doors for the first time this morning to scores of shoppers looking to sample the centre’s impressive variety of exclusive, prominent and exciting retail.
Outside: L to R: Jannie Kruger (Retail Africa); Andries Schaap (General Manager, Sasol Pension Fund) and the Executive Mayor of Mogale City, Cllr Koketso Calvin Seerane.
Weighing in at 76,000sqm, Cradlestone Mall is owned and developed by Sasol Pension Fund, Pivotal Property Fund and Retail Africa and is in the heart of Mogale City in Johannesburg’s West Rand.
Cradlestone Mall’s fresh retail mix and wide choice in nearly 200 shops, restaurants and services delighted shoppers on its first day of trade.
Andries Schaap, General Manager Investment from Sasol Pension Fund, says: “So much has gone in to making Cradlestone Mall a reality, starting with a real need for quality retail and the vision to develop a world-class mall inspired by the World Heritage Site of the Cradle of Humankind. Thousands of people have played a role in conceiving, developing and building Cradlestone Mall. Today, as the mall opens for the first time, they can all be immensely proud of their contribution to this excellent retail asset.”
He adds: “Cradlestone Mall’s appealing shopping, unique fresh design, easy access, entertainment, leisure and total experience make it an exciting prospect for shoppers from across the region, and beyond.”
Its shopper appeal lies in a power-house line up of anchor tenants including Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Checkers, Game with FoodCo, Dion Wired and the Edcon Group. Adding to this impressive clout, Food Lovers Market and Dischem are due to open stores in early 2014.
With a retail mix that packs punch, it’s already a contender to become one of South Africa’s foremost shopping destinations.
Fashionistas, sport and outdoor enthusiasts, homemakers and the tech savvy alike were spoilt for choice on opening day with the mall’s impressive array of select stores supported by all major banks and great entertainment for the whole family in state-of-the-art cinemas from Ster-Kinekor. Moreover, it served up a generous helping of fast food and restaurants.
Cradlestone Mall also gave today’s switched-on shopper an innovative welcome in true up-to-the-minute style, with sponsored Wi-Fi broadband throughout the mall. Internet Solutions and AlwaysOn are sponsoring 30 minutes of mall-wide Wi-Fi and one hour of Wi-Fi in the Food Court as part of the launch of the mall.
Says Hayden Lamberti of Internet Solutions: “Cradlestone Mall is the first retail site with a full carrier-grade wireless network. It represents the first small step in the next journey of Internet Solutions toward creating a society with access to high-speed and ubiquitous wireless bandwidth.”
And this isn’t the only way Cradlestone Mall makes it easy for its shoppers to connect.
Schaap explains that besides its 4,500 parking bays, Cradlestone Mall enjoys maximum accessibility from major roads and highways as well as the benefit of good traffic flow. It is ideally situated at the easily accessible intersection of the N14 and R28 highways and Hendrik Potgieter Road.
As a result, Cradlestone Mall saw shoppers from neighbouring Krugersdorp, Roodepoort, Randpark Ridge and even further afield, enjoy the range of retail options on offer as well as the added convenience of the R60 million that developers invested in improving the roads surrounding the mall.
“Backed by modern technology, convenience and comprehensive choice, Cradlestone Mall offers a complete and appealing experience for all shoppers,” says Schaap.
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