Exciting news…centre gets an overhaul

Saveways Crescent Centre is putting on a new jacket. A fresh coat of paint tells shoppers that something is about to happen at the 54 000 square metre community-centre set in the heart of eMalahleni.

Although a well-utilised centre, the building has fallen into a state of gradual decline. But with new hands at the helm, this shopping centre will be restored to its former glory to again be the shopping centre of choice.
Saveways has recently opened its doors to a new landlord, who have partnered with property experts, Durban Property Managers (DPM), who specialise in property rehabilitation projects and property management.

DPM are synonymous with 180 degree property transformations and have turned around many declining buildings in their 36 year operation. The company has a well tried, successful multi-approach strategy to revamping buildings across the country, their aim is always to increase the long-term value and ensure stakeholder satisfaction on every level. DPM is currently implementing the same plan to the Saveways Crescent Shopping Centre.
This three-phase approach sees improvements in each element of a property. The first step includes external improvements, market and tenant mix optimisation research.

At Saveways, the landlords have begun aesthetic upgrades to the centre. Upgrades include painting, increased lighting and renovations to the ablution facilities. The landlords believe the centre will take on a whole new look and develop a more inviting appeal.

Mr Hamzaa Karim, part of the DPM facilities management team, said that although the centre has a long way to go, the redesign plans target current downfalls and improve on them dramatically.

Market research forms an important component of shopping centre management. The market is made up of separate stakeholder levels, each crucial to the success of a shopping centre. These categories include tenants, customers and the general public as well as contractors and external service providers. Management has appointed a renowned market research company in the retail field to carry out essential economic and market-related research. This research is fundamental in determining shopping centre particulars to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders.

“As part of our research, we undertake scheduled community and tenant satisfaction surveys and carry out comprehensive field studies to determine detailed profiles about the areas and public we service. This aids in effectively placing tenants and creating synergetic tenant mixes to benefit each store and the community as a whole,” said Karim.

Saveways Crescent is anchored by a variety of nationals who prove to be the centres main draw card. Between Checkers, Super Spar, Clicks and House & Home, the centre provides a choice of grocery and household needs. The selection of banks and ATMs ensure the communities financial access and a host of national retailers and eateries offer the public a vast choice in terms of entertainment and fashion.

There are many exciting plans in the pipeline that may see the addition of many national franchises, speciality boutique stores and health facilities to the centre; Saveway Crescent may look forward to a larger Spar and Checkers premises and the possibility of medical suites, research permitting.

Saveways’ exceptional retail options and all-inclusive shopping experience is further complemented by an office element which houses various government departments.

The vision of the landlord is to mould the centre into a fully occupied centre which becomes the extension of the communities’ homes- a one stop shopping destination centred entirely on the community. Central to this ideology is that of shared value creation; DPM understands the necessity of adopting shared value principles of complimentary organisations by which new innovation and business growth results.

Najmah Mahomedy, head of customer relations at DPM is excited about the future and said:

“There is a lot to look forward to in the New Year. We have studied the centre and surrounds extensively and understand exactly what the area needs”.

DPM understands that this transformation does not happen overnight and plans to nurture this process through its growth and extract maximum value from the centre that translates into success for the community.

For more information about the landlords and the properties they manage, contact head office on 031 274 7400.