Workers race to complete the Kwena Square shopping complex, a gleaming $13 million symbol that South Africans are bucking the global ‘retail apocalypse’ with just two days left before it opens to the public.
They couldn’t be separated from their beloved malls by COVID-19.
Kowie Erasmus, 54, who is eagerly anticipating Friday’s official opening of Johannesburg’s Kwena Square, which broke ground amid the height of the pandemic, said, ‘I love visiting to the mall with my daughter and my granddaughters.’
The South African market has developed differently than many other markets throughout the world; for a long time, both shops and customers were drawn into commercial complexes due to high crime rates and a dearth of secure public spaces. Armed security guards and parking with limited access made sure that consumers could consume carefree.
Many industry leaders and experts were disappointed by the connection to malls since they had expected lockdowns in South Africa, which were formerly among the strictest in the world, would ultimately give way to e-commerce and significantly reduce traditional sales.
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