Visitorship in the 1st week rocketed to a phenomenal 162 000 while foot traffic figures for the 1st full month of trade exceeded the 450 000 mark.  This is considerably up on our conservative target of 250 000 and reflects an exceedingly good support from the consumer market, according to Centre Manager Janine Coleske.

“The centre opened at the start of winter against the backdrop of tough economic conditions and trying circumstances - including load shedding, petrol and interest rate hikes – yet the market has welcomed us with open arms. One eager customer wrote to say that “Zevenwacht Mall is the best thing that could have happened to the area” and wanted more detail on phases 2 and 3, planned for roll out in 2009/10”, she said.

Retailers at the centre have an equally encouraging story to tell.  Woolworths and Edgars exceeded their projected turnover in the 1st month by 24% and 26% respectively while Coyote Spur - who has served over 18000 hungry customers to date – exceeded their target income by 30%.  Smaller more specialized outlets are performing equally well, confirmed Coleske.

“The centre services the greater Kuilsriver area and extends to Eersteriver and Blue Downs in the west, Ravensmead and Belhar in the south, Parow and Bellville in the east, and across the scenic wine route to Stellenbosch in the north.  Because of its central, convenient location at extended trading hours till 7pm daily, it has become a popular stop-off for people on their way home from work.  The centre is extremely busy between 4pm and 7pm, and several stores at the centre have already proposed extensions to their trading hours in order to keep up with customer demand”, she said.

“I’ve found that a lot of shoppers have come from outside our primary and secondary catchment areas to enjoy the opening specials, and we are very happy with turnovers.  We’ve had an exceptionally strong opening, and see the store growing from strength to strength”, said Sandy Uys of SuperSpar.

 “We are not surprised that Zevenwacht Mall has been so well received. The Kuilsriver area has experienced unprecedented growth in the field of residential development, yet the immediate retail infrastructure remained fairly limited, forcing residents to journey along heavily congested arterials to shopping centres some 15kms away.  Now residents have a world class shopping centre offering over 100 top quality stores in an immaculately designed and maintained environment – right here on their doorsteps” said Adam Blow, Director and head of retail at Zenprop Property Holdings (Pty) Ltd:.

All of South Africa’s major and national retail chains are represented at Zevenwacht Mall including Woolworths, SuperSpar, Edgars, Truworths, Foschini, Queenspark, Ackermans, Clicks, Jet, CNA, and Mr Price.  The mix is supported by a host of specialised retailers including Boardmans, @ Home, Cape Union Mart, Musica, Vodacom, Sterns, Mullers Optometrist, and more.
 
Zevenwacht Mall also boasts a vibrant food court offering a host of family friendly restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food outlets including Ocean Basket, Spur, Steers, Roman’s Pizza, Mugg n Bean, KFC, Wimpy, Café Magnifico, Maxi’s, and Brazza. 

Parking is free and security is paramount at Zevenwacht Mall. Access to the site is restricted via perimeter fencing and security controlled booms, while the centre offers 24 hour CCTV surveillance (internal and external) monitored via a state of the art security control centre linked to emergency services.  The centre also has a fully equipped first aid room with wheelchairs available for the disabled.