Gert Johan Coetzee opens first permanent store as new retail launches reshape Sandton.
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South African fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee is taking his luxury fashion and beauty offering from the runway to retail with his first permanent store in Sandton.
Coetzee is expanding his growing lifestyle brand with the opening of his first permanent brick-and-mortar store at Nicolway, in the newly renamed Winnie Mandela Precinct, formerly known as the William Nicol Precinct.
The 40 square metre boutique comes as the designer expands beyond fashion and further into beauty following the launch of his debut fragrance collection, a range of six Eau de Parfums crafted in Grasse, France.
The five-year lease marks a significant move for Coetzee, giving shoppers a permanent destination for his designs rather than relying solely on events, pop-ups and stockists.
From fashion to fragrance
The new store brings together Coetzee’s signature luxury handbags and accessories, ready-to-wear pieces, eveningwear and cocktail dresses.
It also arrives at an interesting point in the designer’s career as he builds a broader lifestyle proposition around his name.
His six fragrance creations extend the Gert Johan Coetzee identity into beauty, offering customers another way to engage with the designer’s aesthetic beyond clothing.
The Winnie Mandela Precinct (Nicolway) location places the boutique in one of Johannesburg’s established luxury and lifestyle retail areas, giving the brand a physical home in the city.
Woolworths brings Food Emporium to Gauteng
If you’re in the mood for a quick shopping run while grabbing a latte, this one’s for you. After all, what’s a shopping spree without a coffee stop?
Elsewhere in Johannesburg, Woolworths has expanded its premium food retail concept by opening its Dainfern Square Emporium.
But first, what is an emporium?
By definition, an emporium is a spacious marketplace or retail establishment where numerous types of products are offered for sale in a single location. An all-in-one of sorts.
The store is the retailer’s first Food Emporium in Gauteng, following its successful introduction in Durbanville, Cape Town.
The concept brings a wide selection of everyday essentials, meal solutions, premium ingredients and specialist food ranges under one roof. Features include an expanded bakery, sushi counter, specialist cheese counter, fishmonger and butcher, elevated pantry, and florist.
There is also a What’s Cooking Bar designed to offer recipe inspiration and product sampling.
The launch forms part of Woolworths’ wider approach to evolving its store formats around changing shopping habits as South Africans evolve; truth is, most people want a one-stop shop.
Freedom of Movement refreshes Sandton flagship
For lovers of homemade and affordable leather, the proudly South African lifestyle brand Freedom of Movement has also unveiled a refreshed flagship store at Sandton City.
The redesigned space coincides with the launch of the brand’s Spring 2026 collection and allows the retailer to introduce its updated look to shoppers. Some popular faces associated with the brand are the likes of Boks captain Siya Kholisi; in fact, one of the backpacks is named after him.
Known for its locally produced leather goods and comfortable menswear, Freedom of Movement also offers womenswear, reinforcing its position as a South African lifestyle brand with a broader wardrobe proposition.
The Sandton revamp reflects the continued importance of physical retail, even as consumers increasingly shop online. With all these openings, there’s no reason not to shop.
