Construction of the first 35000m² of the Paarl Mall regional shopping centre will begin in August.
Tenants have already signed up for 75% of the space in this R220m phase of the project. National traders will occupy 70% of the space.
The development is a joint venture between Flanagan & Gerard Property Consultants, Spire Properties and Corovest-NIB Property Asset Managers.
Patrick Flanagan, MD of Flanagan & Gerard Property Consultants, says Paarl's consumer market will be 'big enough to sustain regional shopping'.
The mall's closest competition is the Tygervalley shopping centre, 36km from Paarl.
The primary market shoppers within a 10 to 20-minute drive of the mall would be Paarl, Wellington and Franschoek, while consumers could also be drawn from Worcester, Tulbagh, Montagu and Swartland, says Flanagan.
A total of R300000 will be spent upgrading the adjacent Paarl station to ensure it provides easy access for consumers.
The mall will take references from the contrasting architecture in Paarl Valley such as the Cape Dutch houses and more modern stone buildings. Construction will take about 14 months. The mall is scheduled to open for trading in October next year.
