Paarl Mall, the R320 Million regional shopping centre in the Paarl Valley is set to open its doors to the public on 20 October, promising a significant boost to the Drakenstein area. Drawing its market from a 20-40km radius, the 35000m² regional shopping centre will service the Primary Trade areas of Paarl, Wellington and Franschoek, while consumers will also be drawn from as far afield as Stellenbosch, Klapmuts, Worcester, Tulbagh, Montagu, Ceres, Robertson, Malmesbury and the rest of the Swartland.
Construction of the centre which commenced in September 2004 will open, on schedule, with a superb tenant mix consisting of, inter alia anchor tenants, Pick ‘n Pay, Edgars and Woolworths, supported by Truworths Group brands, the Pepkor/Ackermans Group brands, ten Foschini Group brands, four Mr Price Group brands, and the Clicks Group brands, and all in all some 100 national, provincial and first time traders.
Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan & Gerard, with the Grapnel Property Group, the co-developers of Paarl Mall, says: "Paarl Mall is fully let. The mix is comprehensive, covering fashion, food, sporting goods, gift and speciality wear, jewellery, computers, housewares, restaurants, fast food outlets and banks, travel agents and other services. A strong emphasis on local participation has been employed with a number of specialty stores reflecting local products and bringing a significant wineland flavour to the centre."
Flanagan adds that the design of the centre takes its cue from the local architectural vernacular of the Paarl area. "On initiation of the project, the architects did an intensive study of local architectural styles and materials, and in-keeping with their findings, the centre incorporates finishes in wood, stone, and other natural materials. The building has been sensitively positioned on the site so as to respect the magnificent scenery of the Paarl Valley and the area’s rich cultural heritage.
Sycom Property Fund, majority owners of the development, believes that Paarl Mall will add to the overall GDP of the Paarl Valley in two meaningful ways. Firstly, by retaining the substantial consumer spend that is currently not being captured in the area, and secondly, through the natural spin-off of further development of housing and satellite business that occurs when a development of such significance size takes place in an area.
Tangible evidence of the beneficial impact of the Mall is a R15 Million upgrading of the road network in immediate proximity to the Mall. A new off-ramp has been built for North bound traffic using the N1, which links to Cecilia Street and the Mall, through a new traffic circle at the confluence of Cecilia Street and Arboretum Avenue. Arboretum Avenue has in addition been re-aligned and upgraded. The Cecilia Street bridge over the N1 has been re-engineered and together with the construction of a new on-ramp to the N1 will facilitate traffic heading towards Cape Town. New traffic lights will assist in controlling traffic at the Van Riebeeck /Arboretum Avenue and Cecilia Street/Berg River Boulevard junctions. This investment in the area’s infrastructure not only provides additional regional access and egress to and from the Mall, but also allows the tourist and overall potential of the town and the region to be optimized.
It is estimated that Paarl Mall will generate up to 1000 permanent jobs, which will be filled predominantly by local residents. This is in addition to the many jobs and opportunities that have been created for SMEE and HDI businesses in the construction field, during the construction phase.