Company Announcement - The new multi-million rand Tugela Ferry Mall and Jozini Shopping Centre in rural KwaZulu-Natal has been trading very well since opening and both have had an excellent festive season. That’s the word from Gavin Tagg, CEO of Retail Network Services - the leading full-service specialist retail leasing and development company which is responsible for leasing both centres. He reports that the performance of both centres has seen more top retailers take up space at these malls. “Tugela Ferry Mall and Jozini Shopping Centre have established themselves in the towns of Tugela Ferry and Jozini in KwaZulu-Natal’s rural northern interior. Both centres have been embraced by their communities and have traded well since opening. The recent festive season has been especially successful,” says Tagg.

The 15,000m² Tugela Ferry Mall has been open for almost nine months now, while the 18,000m² Jozini Shopping Centre opened in October 2013. “Tugela Ferry is a vibrant, yet isolated town in rural KwaZulu-Natal that previously did not have a quality, one-stop shopping centre. The new mall is well supported by locals and visitors alike. With a catchment of more than 184,200 residents in approximately 41,800 households, Tugela Ferry Mall is the first fully-fledged shopping centre in the town. Residents previously had to travel substantial distances for basic shopping services, with Tugela Ferry located 45km north of Greytown,” says Tagg.
A 3,000m² Shoprite supermarket and 1,350m²   Cashbuild anchor the Tugela Ferry Mall. It caters for over 50 stores, service outlets and eateries offering a comprehensive retail mix, from convenience and banking to fashion, food and furniture.

Other major brands that are part of the retail and service mix include OK Furniture, the Post Office, Jet, Liquor City, KFC, Standard Bank, Capitec Bank, Rage, Express Stores, Lewis, Pep, Pep Cell, Barnetts, Power Fashion Factory, Studio 88, Beaver Canoe, Dunns, Shoe Zone and The Bed Shop. Exciting new additions secured as part of the Tugela Ferry Mall tenant mix since its opening include Edgars Active, Legit, Ackermans, Focus Cosmetics, Chesa Nyama and Debonairs.

Comments Tagg: “Major retailers at the centre are performing well, and we have some great new retail brands that have come in. To complete the tenant mix at Tugela Ferry Mall, we have strategic space we are holding for a butchery and an independent school uniform retailer.” He adds: “Tugela Ferry Mall represents the biggest retail investment in the town and the mall is gearing up to mark its one year milestone in April.” Included in the Tugela Ferry Mall development is a 56-bay taxi rank, offering even greater accessibility for Tugela Ferry residents. The mall has 364 parking bays. The mall development has also strengthened the town’s central role in the area. Tugela Ferry Mall complements its neighbouring community facilities which include a hospital, municipal offices, police station, schools, courts, the local office of the Department of Home Affairs and a new Library, which is directly next to the mall.

Tugela Ferry is a key town in the heart of Msinga in KZN’s Umzinyathi District Municipality. It is on the Tugela River’s northern bank and is a seat of the Tribal Authority Government for the area. The main R33 route, which goes right through the town of Tugela Ferry, means the mall also benefits from excellent accessibility and visibility, making it convenient for passing traffic. Meanwhile, great news for Jozini Shopping Centre is that leading national health, beauty and pharmacy retailer, Clicks, will be opening a 550m² store at the centre soon. This will be the first Clicks store in the town of Jozini. Comments Tagg: “Clicks is going to be a fantastic new addition to Jozini Shopping Centre. The centre was fully let, but due to demand we had to move a few stores around and reconfigure space to bring in Clicks. With Clicks coming in, the centre will be home to over 50 stores.

“Jozini is a bustling tourist town in Northern KZN and Jozini Shopping Centre is a quality addition to the town’s retail offering. Besides being fully let, major retailers at the centre have reported excellent trade, for example the Roots Butchery sold over seven tons of wors in December,” adds Tagg.

“The fact that both Tugela Ferry Mall and Jozini Shopping Centre are trading well and are attracting national retail brands illustrates that there is an appetite for quality retail in rural areas,” concludes Tagg.