Special guests attend reopening of the revamped Cambridge Crossing Shopping Centre

Special guests recently attended the reopening of the revamped Cambridge Crossing Shopping Centre where Ward 93 councillor Candice James cut the ribbon and marked it officially opened.

Noted as one of Johannesburg’s first ‘steampunk’ centres Cambridge Crossing’s architectural concept encompassed strong elements of industrial design which echoed the railway station or steam train theme that was inspired by the name of the centre.

Carmen Collison, retail asset manager, SA Corporate Real Estate said, “Cambridge Crossing is a place where friends meet, families shop and professionals do business before heading off to their next destination or out into the busy world. Being on the artery of Witkoppen, many people are in transit or even trying to step out of the rat race. So, we have provided a place that can be a meeting point which addresses the full complement of services required by all patrons of the centre.”

She added that their vision was not only to invest in quality real estate but to manage their assets in order to deliver lasting benefits for all stakeholders. “We achieve this through efficient operations that drive growth over the long term. In these tough economic times, maintaining an efficient operating structure that contains the costs of occupation for our tenants is a significant achievement.”

She said they have managed to ensure that they launched a revamped centre that is focused on customer convenience which has a truly varied tenant mix and one that speaks to all of the key needs of a modern lifestyle.

Collison explained that the shopping centre’s catchment area includes Paulshof, Petervale, Kleve Hill Park, Magaliessig, Rivonia, Lonehill, Bryanston and Edenberg. “It caters for a broad category of LSMs which has grown considerably due to the ongoing development of upmarket, high-density residential accommodation in the area.”

She stated that the gross letting area (GLA) has increased from 3 560m² to 4 850m². “The phased construction process began on 6 February last year with the building of a new structured car park with additional parking bays. The stepped levels of 1 200m² were demolished to create a comfortable single level retail experience.”

When asked how different the shopping centre was from other shopping centres in the area, Collison said, “The retail sector is evolving and transforming. It is no longer enough to simply sell merchandise. Today’s consumers want more than a shopping destination.”

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