The layout of the interior perspective of the newly developed Rosebank Mall.
Rosebank’s first food court, a 2 000m2 indoor food emporium on the first floor of The Zone @ Rosebank has opened. It offers panoramic views over western Johannesburg, and a balcony on Oxford Road.
The new food court, dubbed Food @ The Zone is a milestone in the multi- million revamp of the suburb’s hub for fashion, food and entertainment. It enables moviegoers, families and entertainment-lovers to relax in an open plan self-service dining space, with access to some of South Africa’s favourite fast-food vendors and sit-down restaurants. Some of these include Panarottis, Spur, Chiapas Eat Mexican, Simply Asia, Wakaberry, Sweets from Heaven, Jimmy’s Killer Prawns and Häagen-Dazs.
Food @ The Zone is conveniently situated in the same space as the centre’s entertainment complex, which features Ster-Kinekor’s luxurious new Cine Prestige and The Fun Company, which offers bumper cars, mini-golf, tenpin bowling, arcade games, a sports bar and 4D theatre.
“Our intention with the new area, Food @ The Zone, is to enhance the family appeal and convenience of The Zone @ Rosebank, and to add more leisure facilities to the existing cinema complex. Families and moviegoers can now really enjoy a full outing,” says Anton Bieber, Portfolio Manager for the Rosebank Node for Old Mutual Property.“The Zone @ Rosebank is now able to cater for a broad market of entertainment lovers.”
“The new food court will revitalise the entertainment area of The Zone @ Rosebank, with its abundance of natural light, earthy colours, slick seating and granite tables, soft backlit wallpaper and mosaic tiling,” says Nqaba Mangcu, project architect of Louis Karol Architects, the company responsible for the refit. “Shoppers will also have access to a smart-connect area with Wi-Fi, TVs and desk plugs.”
The mixed-use mall development, located between Cradock Avenue and Oxford Road in Rosebank and owned by Old Mutual Properties, recently announced the addition of four new major brands to its growing fashion, food and entertainment offering. These are KAUAI’s first concept store, UK’s fresh handmade cosmetics, haircare and skincare brand Lush, apparel, shoes & accessories brand Puma and internationally-franchised Viva Gym. A gym, with headquarters in the UK, and SuperSpar’s new Rosebank outlet will be opening in early 2016 in the complex.
“By refurbishing the ground and first floors of The Zone @ Rosebank, and placing the new food court on the first floor, we were able to accommodate sixteen new stores in the existing space. Basically, we created a fresh, newly purposed space within the existing shopping centre,” explains Mangcu.
Louis Karol’s CEO, Eitan Karol, says, “It’s never easy to build within an existing building that’s not only still trading, but is in a part of a mall that links all the shopping and offices. Our 63 years of experience in large-scale commercial redevelopment stood us in good stead and we’ve been able to handle the project fairly seamlessly.”
Marking a milestone in the progression of phase one of the redevelopment, shoppers will soon be able to enjoy a new mixed-use retail/office space in the former Standard Bank building on Tyrwhitt Avenue, now known as the Zone Boulevard. Bringing Johannesburg back onto the streets with outdoor restaurants and entertainment, the ground floor of the Zone Boulevard will host a variety of restaurants, and will also serve as a green space with outside seating and piazza-style ambiance. The first and second floors will be remodelled into office space of approximately 2 200m2. A spectacular atrium has allowed natural light in, to flow into both floors.
