THE Old Mutual Property Group says its Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga, Durban, has become the first retail complex in Africa to win a top marketing award from the International Council of Shopping Centres.

The Maxi award for retail marketing was presented at a recent council ceremony in Chicago to Mike Rodel, regional manager of the Old Mutual Property Group in KwaZulu-Natal.

The International Council of Shopping Centres is the global trade association of the shopping centre industry, with 57000 members in about 80 countries.

The Gateway shopping centre is one of the flagship properties in the Old Mutual Property Group’s retail portfolio.

Gateway’s award was for its Bluetooth installation, the largest in any mall in Africa.

The permission-based system enables Gateway retailers and mall management to offer a variety of communications directly to customer cellphones within the mall.

This ranges from information on upcoming events to specific store specials and promotions.

Communications are sent only to those customers who consent to receiving the information.

The system, which has seen more than 800 people log on within a single day, was developed specifically for Gateway. It was based on tenant and customer group analysis.

It also enables mall management to communicate with retailers on a one-on-one basis.