New R500 million shopping mall to open this month

·2 Sep 2022

Boardwalk Mall, a new 24,000sqm development in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape is close to completion and will open to shoppers on 22 September 2022.

The R500 million development by Flanagan & Gerard Group and Emfuleni Resorts, a subsidiary of Sun International, is an extension and upgrade of the Boardwalk Precinct around the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World in Summerstrand, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

The mall features 92 stores, 30 of which opened in the first phase in March 2022. The mall is anchored by the first Checkers, Woolworths Food and Dis-Chem stores in its area. The offering is complemented by a Pick n Pay and Clicks, and the latest VIP cinema upgrade from NuMetro.

It also includes a 2,500sqm open arena, the multi-functional Sunpark events arena, with a big screen, fountain, restaurants spilling out onto the square, a variety of coffee shops and casual dining experiences, and a landscaped children’s play area.

The vision for Boardwalk Mall is built on offering world-class convenience and entertainment to the Summerstrand region, said Paul Gerard, MD of Flanagan & Gerard.

Construction of the 24,000sqm single-level Boardwalk Mall was ready to commence in February 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic lockdown. Demolition and bulk earthworks were finally able to get underway from February to April 2021, and construction began in May 2021.

The first phase of Boardwalk Mall opened on 24 March 2022, and the grand opening of this retail, lifestyle and entertainment powerhouse is on Thursday, 22 September.

The mall has created more than 1,300 jobs during its construction phase. In addition, some 80% of work on site was completed by local subcontractors using local labour, its owners said.

It has more than 1,000 public parking bays, dedicated tenant parking and a taxi drop-off and pick-up zone.