Construction World January 2015

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JANUARY 2015
Eyethu Orange Farm Mall, located
between Johannesburg and Ver-
eeniging, is 10% owned by its
community, through the Orange
Farm Community Trust, and is set to trans-
form Orange Farm into a booming central
business district. It is boosting the local
economy in a variety of ways, from creating
jobs and easy access to quality shopping, to
housing the local community radio station
and a day care centre.
Together with the community’s 10%
stake, facilitated by the National Empow-
erment Fund, Eyethu Orange Farm Mall
co-owners are developers Flanagan &
Gerard Investments and Stretford Land
Developments and JSE-listed REIT Dipula
Income Fund, each of which hold 30% of the
mall’s ownership.
Eyethu Orange Farm Mall marks the
creation of a regional retail mall which is
connected with different modes of public
transport. This first-rate mall, with all the
advantages of a leading regional shopping
centre, offers a broad mix of retailers to
satisfy local customers and the millions of
rail commuters using its adjacent Stretford
Station each year, as well as those using its
integrated regional taxi rank. This positions
it at the best and most convenient point for
this community to do its shopping.
Paul Gerard, managing director of Flan-
agan & Gerard Investments, says: “Eyethu
Orange Farm Mall is no ordinary mall. It is
a shopping centre more deeply rooted in
its community than any other in South
Africa, and each tenant here is not only
committed to the mall, but is also demon-
strating its confidence in this
community. We are thrilled by
the positive response to the
project by both national and
local retailers. Eyethu Orange
Farm Mall creates a wide variety
of shopping choice that is well-
match to its shopper market.”
Izak Petersen, CEO of Dipula
Income Fund, reports: “We are
thrilled to be invested in this
quality asset, which epitomises
both innovation and inspiration.
Dipula’s investment is playing a
key role in bringing much-needed
access to top-quality retail for
PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS
this community. It is meaningful responsible
investment that will boost the local economy
and benefit our shareholders. It also meets
Dipula’s strategy to invest in retail assets in
underserviced areas.”
David Lieberman of Stretford Land Devel-
opments, comments: “The idea for Eyethu
Orange Farm Mall was first born with my
partner Vusi Tshabalala, two decades ago.
He believes that where a community has no
mineral wealth, its only wealth is its buying
power. He saw a future where the community
of Orange Farm could benefit from its own
spending power by developing a shopping
mall in which the community owned a stake.
The mall has been 20-years in the making and
today is like a dream come true and an incred-
ible achievement for this community. Eyethu
Orange Farm Mall is proof that big business
can also be good business.”
Mziwabantu Dayimani, general counsel of
the National Empowerment Fund adds: “The
Eyethu Orange Farm Mall is partly owned by
the Orange Farm Community Trust, which
holds a 10% stake thanks to R50-million in
funding facilitated by the National Empow-
erment Fund’s Rural & Community Develop-
ment Fund unit.
“The social impact of the project has
been meaningful. The project promises
approximately 1 500 permanent jobs, while
2 000 jobs were supported during the
construction phase.”
The benefit from the trust’s stake is
intended for constructing special needs
projects such as centres for development,
learning, safety or care. The projects will
be decided by the Orange Farm Commu-
nity Trust, whose Trustees are volunteers
elected by the community.
More benefit
And, there is even more benefit embedded
for this community. To be involved in any
Trust project – be it building, supplying
or operating it – the compliant business
or individual must reside in Orange Farm.
This applies to everyone, regardless of their
responsibility. This way, the community will
directly benefit from the proceeds of the
project and the money earned in Orange
Farm will stay in Orange Farm.
Besides the Community Trust owner-
ship, Eyethu Orange Farm Mall brings many
other benefits, including great shopping
to its community. These include job crea-
tion, retaining hard-earned spend in the
community and sponsoring space for both
an Afrika Tikkun preschool and community
radio station, Thetha FM. The radio station
will, for the first time since its launch, trade
out of top graded space and benefit from
offering advertising and other serves to the
owners and tenants of the mall.
But, perhaps most impactful is the
introduction of top-notch retail right on the
doorstep of this community. Shoppers will
have ample choice from South Africa’s most
popular retailers including large grocery
anchor retailers Shoprite and Pick n Pay, as
well as a large Roots Butchery.
A necessity for all, banking services will
be brought to the community from ABSA,
First National Bank, African Bank, Capitec,
Nedbank, Standard Bank and Old Mutual.
Offering the latest in quality apparel
to Eyethu Orange Farm Mall customers
is an impressive variety of South Africa’s
most popular retail brands. These include
Foschini, Edgars, Truworths, Identity, Cross
Trainer, Markham, Total Sports, Exact!,
Legit, Fashion Express, Signature Cosmetics,
Pep, Rage, Daniel J, Sterns, Studio 88,
Sportscene, Ackermans and Jet.
Keeping shoppers looking and feeling
good, the mall’s health and beauty
selection includes Link Pharmacy,
Clicks, Benyana’s Cosmetics and
Mokobake CJ Optometrists Inc.
House-proud shoppers will also be
spoilt for choice with Sheet Street,
Fair Price Furnishers, OK Furniture,
Lewis and Pep Home.
The mall will also provide space
for informal traders by means of a
Traders Square, and the exciting list
of formal retailers at Eyethu Orange
Farm Mall will be joined by lock-up
informal trader stalls placed around
the neighbouring taxi rank.
SOCIALLY-INNOVATIVE SHOPPING
The eagerly-awaited 27 000 m2, R400-million regional
Eyethu Orange Farm Mall opened recently, bringing to
fruition an unprecedented socially innovative retail
development and investment.
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