The move, which has greatly changed the tenant mix and introduced national retailer Woolworths to the mall, was expected to double foot traffic to 600000 shoppers a month.

The investment brought in 50 tenants in 17000m² of reconfigured floor space and catered for an increasingly diversified market. The upgrade, completed over 10 months and officially launched last week, included revamping the existing stores, replacing shop front s in keeping with shopping centre trends, and linking the lower and ground floors of the centre by escalators.

Broll regional branch manager Gerald Davey said coupled with the new tiling, ceilings and lighting, the revamp provided a brighter shopping environment. The centre was 90% let and the expansion allowed for introducing 10 new standalone kiosks outside the centre.

These facilitated barrow-style retailing of flowers, high-fashion items and fast and convenience food .

Broll manages the property on behalf of JSE-listed property loan stock company ApexHi Properties.

The centre is anchored with national retailers Shoprite Checkers and Pick ’n Pay Family Stores, and management expected the Woolworths store to be open by April next year.

In line with international and national trends, the 4500m² commercial block adjacent to the centre has been converted into flats to allow people to live closer to work and shopping.

Berea Centre manager Sharon Will said Pick ’ n Pay, Pep Stores and OK Power Express had upgraded and expanded their merchandise range to accommodate customer demand, while Sports Director Health Club was wholly refurbished.

In addition to Woolworths, new tenants include African Bank, Bakers DIY, Butterfields Coffee Shop, DX Fashions, Africa Gold, KFC, Multiserve, Pansula Bites, Perfume Gardens, Pie Express and Torga Optical.

Davey said that, as a community shopping facility, the centre was ideally situated in the heart of Berea , catering for many requirements including medical, health, beauty, fashion, home ware, services and cinemas.

The community shopping centre concept falls between regional centres and small malls, offering a handful of stores. Davey expected shoppers to be drawn from the surrounding residential suburbs of Musgrave, Berea and Glenwood.

In the broader KwaZulu-Natal market, he said sentiment about the central business districts (CBDs) in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and smaller towns was becoming bullish. Durban and Pietermaritzburg had experienced a significant turnaround recently with CBD retail space again coming into prime demand and office accommodation rapidly following suit.