Fashionable old gal pulls them in

LOVE it or hate it, you cannot ignore it. Sandton City is Johannesburg’s top shopping destination and its success shows no signs of abating.

Last year, it celebrated its 40th birthday and, like many of its shoppers do at this age, treated itself to a facelift.

Floor space was increased by 30 000m2.

When Rapp and Maister constructed the centre in 1973, it had about 40 000m2 of gross lettable area. This now stands at 141 390m2.

The potential was seen by the Liberty Group shortly after it was built.

The company has owned the centre ever since.

“We have seen a continued growth in tenant turnover, which shows in the tenant mix and changes to accommodate the brands favoured by our customers,” said Julie Hillary, general manager of the Sandton region for Liberty Properties.

“Sandton City has 26 entrances and more than 300 stores, and it is the leading brands that perform well.”

It has evolved into more of a fashion destination than a shopping centre and the new Diamond Walk, due to open early next year, will feature 10 of the top luxury brands in the world.

There are plans to upgrade the food court and the cinema level.

The centre has more than 8 000 parking bays and even so there are days when that does not seem sufficient.

There will be bicycle stalls and showers in the new office block of the Atrium to promote cycling.

This follows a trend prevalent in other major cities in the world.

Businesses in the area contribute money to allow dedicated traffic wardens to be deployed in the area.

This is essential because of the constant failure of traffic lights and subsequent congestion.