Facelift will see Pioneer Mall getting new service providers
Maphole Koloti
Pioneer Mall, the Mountain Kingdom’s biggest shopping centre is currently going a facelift that will see it becoming home to new retailers in the next few months.
The management this week said the renovations will give the mall a fresh new look and enhance the overall shopping experience for its customers. The construction project, which is set to be completed by October, will bring a modern and stylish touch to the mall while also improving its functionality and convenience.
Pioneer Mall welcomes new retailers
Among the new retailers is Incredible Connection, which opened its doors Thursday.
The current phase of renovations will be completed by October, management said Wednesday.
The other retailer to come on board is Pep Home, which will open its first branch in the country “soon”, said Anne-Marie Bothma, the leasing and development manager.
Bothma told Africa News 24 that the renovations were meant to improve client experience.
Clicks, Woolworths Pioneer Mall extend square footage
She said due to the high demand of retail space, the mall was also expanding its square footage by 1 100 square metres. And by the time the exercise is completed, other retailers like Clicks and Woolworths would have exponentially increased their square footage, she said.
Clicks’ square footage will increase from the current 500 square metres to 630 square metres while Woolworths will now have 2 140 square metres from the current 1 704 square metres. This means that the mall’s square footage now stands at 1 100 square metres.
Pioneer Mall enhances customer experience
“Our main goal is ensuring that we improve the customer experience so that the shopping centre becomes more convenient,” Bothma said.
More from Africa News 24
Former Zimbabwe cricketer miraculously survives leopard attack
Apart from the refreshing look and ambience, shops like Incredible Connections would bring more convenience to shoppers who would no longer need to travel all the way to Bloemfontein to shop for gadgets like iPhones.
Another key facet of the renovations is the facelift of the entrances as well as the extension of the parking bays.
Increased parking space at Pioneer Mall
While the mall does not have much space to expand to, once completed, the renovations would leave the mall with an extra 173 parking bays to add to the current 596.
Engagements were also underway with taxi associations to improve the existing taxi rank and its accessibility to pedestrians, said Ntlatlapa Mosae, the corporate affairs officer at LSP Construction Ltd. This would end the usual running battles between taxi drivers and traffic police officers over the former’s practice of picking and dropping off passengers at undesignated spots. The practice often causes avoidable traffic congestion at the Pioneer Mall robot from where most shoppers seek taxis and drop off.
“Engagements are ongoing with taxi associations to come up with an improved plan that can enhance the safety of passengers and convenience. We do not want to impose solutions, we want to collaborate so that the taxi operators own the solution and we will partner them in the implementation,” Mosae said.
