The centre which is a joint venture between the two developers and POD Property Fund was built almost 30 years ago and will get a much needed facelift with renovations set to be completed in the second half of 2019.

The 10 000 m² development will continue to be home to existing tenants such as Checkers, Ackermans, Clicks, Spur and PEP that will be revamping into their respective new looks. The centre will also be welcoming new exciting tenants like Woolworths Food, Mr Price and Miladys, in a bid to bring about a differentiating factor from the old centre and provide relevant retail solutions to an environment that has not had that benefit for some time now.

“We are taking on an asset that has historically been neglected over the decades. We saw a gap in the market, analysed it and listened to the retailers to ensure that the final offering speaks to the needs of not only the consumers who will make use of the centre but also the tenants. We have put a lot of emphasis on the lifestyle elements of the centre and will be applying the latest design trends to blend it into a neighbourhood environment,” says Jurgens Prinsloo, Managing Director, Abland.

Abland and Retail Africa have identified a need in the current Retail Market to focus on Brownfield developments – reviving outdated retail spaces into modern contemporary spaces that families can enjoy as part of the bigger urbanisation, SMART cities concept.  Additionally, when working on a centre revamp its imperative to have a clear understanding of the changing demographics in that surrounding area as well as the growing middle class in order to serve as a catalyst in the uplifment and re-development of communities.

“At Retail Africa, one of our strategies is the redevelopment of neighbourhood convenience shopping centres, to create family oriented centres in safe and secure environments. Norkem Corner is the perfect example of an opportunity to reenergise a centre that has existed for almost 30 years, by applying the latest trends from a design and aesthetic point of view as well as substantially enhancing the centres tenant mix, making the centre attractive to today’s modern shopper”, adds Retail Africa’s Richard O’ Sullivan.