{"id":852452,"date":"2026-02-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=852452"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:45:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T09:45:31","slug":"popular-38-year-old-coastal-shopping-mall-in-south-africa-getting-a-r75-million-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/852452\/popular-38-year-old-coastal-shopping-mall-in-south-africa-getting-a-r75-million-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular 38-year-old coastal shopping mall in South Africa getting a R75 million upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Growthpoint Properties is undergoing a R75 million redevelopment at its Walmer Park Shopping Centre in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The redevelopment focuses on the massive Edgars premises in the store. Growthpoint said that the investment will reinforce the mall’s position as the city’s leading retail destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It noted that the redevelopment will introduce a new internal link mall and expand the variety of retail offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It said that the project aligns with its broader retail strategy to increase exposure to assets and regions positioned for sustainable long\u2011term growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The redevelopment focuses on optimising the retail mix, improving circulation and unlocking value from the existing space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWalmer Park is a well\u2011established, dominant regional centre with consistently low vacancies and strong tenant demand,” said Gavin Jones, Head of Retail Asset Management at Growthpoint Properties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With vacancies at approximately 1.5%, this redevelopment offers a rare opportunity for new tenants to enter an otherwise fully let centre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The centre is situated in the heart of the wealthy Walmer, with Growthpoint stating that it is recognised for its high\u2011quality retail and customer experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The redevelopment will mark the centre’s eighth upgrade in 38 years, having opened its doors in 1988.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A main component of the redevelopment is the reconfiguration of the existing 4,680 sqm Edgars store into a refined 1,982 sqm format, supported by a refreshed tenant mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growthpoint said that the introduction of a new link mall will accommodate close to 10 additional stores, bringing the total to 170 retailers, and will be supported by free customer Wi-Fi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShoppers can expect an enhanced range of fashion, homeware and national brands,\u201d added Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The link mall has been designed to improve internal flow and will provide visual continuity with the centre\u2019s current modern aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project includes upgraded energy\u2011efficient lighting, which integrates Walmer Park\u2019s rooftop solar installation and existing standby generation system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction on the upgrade will commence in March this year and should be completed by November 2026, ahead of the festive trading period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSelective redevelopment of strong, established assets is central to our strategy,\u201d Jones added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy restructuring retail space, introducing sought\u2011after brands and elevating the customer experience, we ensure our centres remain relevant while delivering sustainable long\u2011term value.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across its retail portfolio, the JSE-listed REIT is prioritising capital towards dominant centres with strong trading metrics and proven reinvestment potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walmer Park upgrade follows the R270 million expansion and upgrade of Paarl Mall in the Western Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Walmer Park Images and Renderings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Growthpoint Properties is redeveloping its Walmer Park Shopping Centre in Gqeberha, as it focuses on proven shopping centres. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":852457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[12043],"class_list":["post-852452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-growthpoint"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852452"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":852474,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852452\/revisions\/852474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}