R500 MILLION MALL TO OPEN IN EASTERN CAPE

The end of the month will see the opening of a new mall in Gqeberha. If everything goes to plan, the Boardwalk Mall will open at the end of the month.

The mall cost a staggering R500 million and is an extension as well as an upgrade of the Boardwalk Precinct around the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro’s Summerstrand area.

The first phase of the mall has already opened in March this year. There will be 92 stores in total, 30 of which have already opened. The rest will open with the grand opening at the end of the month.

Business Insider reports that the mall is anchored by the first Checkers, Woolworths Food and Dis-Chem stores in its area. The offering is complemented by a Pick n Pay and Clicks, and the latest VIP cinema upgrade from NuMetro.

Construction was originally planned to start in February 2020, but the pandemic meant all plans had to come to a screeching halt. Earthworks and demolition on the 24 000 square meters single-level mall were eventually able to start in February.

Not only will the mall boost the local economy, but it has also created more than 1 300 jobs during the construction phase. According to Business Insider, some 80% of work on site was completed by local subcontractors using local labour.

Image credit: Eastern Cape Industrial And Business News