The 75,000m2 regional shopping mall will be built on a 27ha site at the intersection of the N1 bypass and Madjadjiskloof Road (formerly Magoebaskloof Road). It will comprise five anchor tenants, numerous national retailers, line shops, restaurants and an eight-screen cinema.

The development is owned by a consortium of JSE-listed property company Resilient Property Income Fund (48%), Flanagan & Gerard Property Development & Investment (16%), Moolman Group (16%) and a Polokwane based BEE Group (20%).

Developers Flanagan & Gerard have previously successfully facilitated retailers seeking to reach new consumer markets through the development of top-notch shopping centres in opportunity areas such as Paarl, Vanderbijlpark, Benoni and Witbank.

Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan & Gerard explains that Mall of the North is being developed as a result of demand from national retailers who wish to gain access this market, as well as those which are unable to adequately cater for consumer demands in their existing locations.

“There is currently an annual R300 million consumer spend outflow from Polokwane as local consumers travel into places like Pretoria and Ekurhuleni to obtain goods and retail brands which are unavailable locally,” notes Flanagan. “The Mall of the North is positioned to recapture this. It will have a positive impact on the GDP of Polokwane.”

Flanagan explains that the development of Mall of the North will unlock new retail prospects by creating an ideal resource for retailers seeking to access important consumers. Significantly, it will also benefit the local community in which it is located by providing a valuable shopping facility and enhance the local economy through job creation, empowerment and skills development.

Mall of the North, with its 36% local ownership, is expected to create some 1,500 to 2,000 permanent jobs.

While the Polokwane CBD is well-established and developers foresee no impact on the city centre as a result of the development of Mall of the North, there is very little decentralised shopping in the city.

Mall of the North will introduce new retailers, which are not currently represented in the area, to the region. This will create a broader-based retail, restaurant and entertainment offering in Polokwane, ensuring valuable consumer spend is retained in Polokwane and Limpopo.

“Mall of the North will serve Polokwane as well as the entire northern region of the country, with cross-border shopping as an additional factor,” says Flanagan.

Scheduled to open late in 2009 Mall of the North is ideally positioned for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The event is expected to have a huge impact in terms of international spend for restaurants and retailers which secure premises in Mall of the North.

Flanagan explains that the Mall of the North site was selected because of its location in Bendor, which is situated in a rapidly growing part of Polokwane with numerous housing developments currently established, further developments proclaimed and even more in the pipeline. Bendor is firmly located in Polokwane’s growth corridor and Mall of the North is sited ideally at the intersection of a national and provincial road.

There will also be substantial road upgrades in the immediate area and all roads will fit into a new urban road grid that has been formulated by the Polokwane Council. In addition to parking for some 4,500 cars, Mall of the North will also provide comprehensive taxi and bus facilities.

“The development of Mall of the North creates a true win-win situation through meeting the needs of both retailers and consumers,” says Flanagan.