"This in the context of a dynamic world with constantly changing patterns and so careful thought is required in order to secure the asset's ongoing success". So reckons doyen of the South African shopping centre industry with a wealth of experience and retail success stories behind his name, property developer and investor Patrick Flanagan.

Flanagan will sharing his insight into the industry’s unique challenges and its future at the 14th Annual African Congress of Shopping Centres, hosted by the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) and sponsored by Growthpoint Properties Limited, which will take place from 13 to 15 October, 2010 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Flanagan has been behind  the development of many of the country’s largest property investments, such as Riverside Mall in Nelspruit; Lakeside Mall in Benoni; Somerset Mall in  Somerset West; Southgate in Johannesburg; Northgate in Randburg; the Boardwalk in Richards Bay; Bhunu Mall in  Manzini; Quaggasentrum in Pretoria West and Hatfield Plaza in Hatfield. More recent developments include Vaal Mall, Highveld Mall, Morningside Shopping Centre and the 75 000sqm Mall of the North in Polokwane to open in April 2011.

Together with Peter Gerard, Flanagan founded of RMS Syfrets in 1979, which later became Colliers RMS.  Their initial partners in the company were the Nedbank group, followed by Johnnic in 1995, before selling the company in 1999. Flanagan and Gerard started working together at Rapp & Maister in the early 1970’s, involved in such developments as Sandton City and  Eastgate, and learnt from Michael Rapp before he reversed the company into the Liberty Life group.

Flanagan notes that the key to successful retail property development in South Africa today, taking into consideration the fact that many areas are already served by retail centres, is to understand one’s own shopper target market. Similarly the function of the retail centre has to be clearly understood in terms of its role in the target market and in relation to other centres.

“Understanding consumer behaviour is critical to the success or failure of a new centre, particularly where it competes with other centres which are accessible to the same target market,” says Flanagan. He explains that there are essentially three types of consumer behaviour: convenience shopping, socializing and comparative shopping.

Critical mass is another aspect which is important, points out Flanagan, especially for regional shopping centres. “It is important that a centre retains both its dominance in a node and its ability to expand over time, otherwise it runs the risk of losing its critical mass and creating too much fragmentation around it as other retail offerings spring up”.

Vital to the success or failure of a retail centre, highlights Flanagan, is proper management. “The shortage of skills in the shopping centre management arena is problematic here, but there are also other factors such as the selling on the developments after completion, which means that centres are less well managed than they should be.”

It is for this very reason that the SACSC presents its Annual African Shopping Centre Congress in addition to its education initiatives, explains SACSC congress chairman Julie Hillary. “Debating our challenges and sharing solutions benefits the entire sector,” notes Hillary.

The conference is supported by the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) and provides a meeting-place for retail heavyweights from SA, the rest of Africa, and even further abroad.

This year’s conference theme – Relevance, Balance and Responsibility – signals a confident move away from the economic fears that have defined retail discourses in the past few years.

The 14th annual African Congress of Shopping Centres, sponsored by Growthpoint Properties, will take place from 13 to 15 October, 2010 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or online www.sascscongress.co.za