Joburg’s first steampunk centre caters to new retail trends

Shoppers stopping by at the recently revamped Cambridge Crossing shopping centre can "expect a completely different retail experience, according to Carmen Collison, Retail Asset Manager, SA Corporate Real Estate.

“The retail sector is evolving and transforming. It is no longer enough to simply sell merchandise. Today’s consumers want more than a shopping destination, they seek a retail experience. According to researchers, we have moved from an experience economy to a participation economy. Customers want to be part of our story. Firstly, we need to understand our customers. Then, we need to provide a retail experience that is personalised and meets consumer needs,” she says.

Cambridge Crossing is a convenience centre located in Paulshof, Gauteng. Anchored by Woolworths, it had an existing GLA of 3 560m². “Since acquisition, the property has not been refurbished.

Consequently, the proposed redevelopment is long overdue and necessary to ensure its continued competitive edge in a node that has grown in stature. This growth is driven by upmarket, high density residential accommodation being developed in the node,” she explained. Cambridge Crossing’s catchment area includes Paulshof, Petervale, Kleve Hill Park, Magaliessig, Rivonia, Lonehill, Bryanston and Edenberg.

It caters for a broad category of LSMs and has drawn a great deal of interest from consumers who would not ordinarily use the centre during the construction phase. The revamped Cambridge Crossing shopping centre addressed two key issues – convenience and time constraints. Again, research points to smaller regional centres growing faster than larger regional malls simply because they are more accessible to time poor customers looking to combine convenience with a quality retail experience. “We demolished the stepped levels of 1200m² to create a comfortable single level retail experience that was expanded to approx. 4850m². We also created additional en-grade and basement parking,” she says.  

The actual aesthetic of the centre is also an important part of enhancing the retail experience.  Cambridge Crossing is Johannesburg’s and one of the country’s first “steampunk” centres and the first to use the new Corobrick Black Brick.  “We embraced this theme because we it takes one back to a railway station/steam train era that is inspired by the name of the centre, which we chose to retain. This reflects a transit theme as an important meeting point.

Cambridge Crossing is a place where friends meet, families shop and business concluded before heading off to the next destination or out into the busy world. Being on the artery of Witkoppen, many people are in transit or even trying to step out of the rat race. So, we have provided a place that can be a meeting point which addresses the full complement of services required by all patrons of the centre.” She said that, at the same time, the steampunk theme reflects authenticity which breaks away the fakeness of many modern designs. It is “back end inspired” and negates the necessity to hide the skills that went into both building and operating the mall.  

Cambridge Crossing also deals with another strong shopper trend emerging from research – shopping with a conscience through designing malls and centres that minimize the impact on natural resources.  

The roofs have been designed to allow for the solar panels in the future, but not yet installed. The centre is already fully let and includes a varied tenant mix which will appeal to all, some of those new stores that will form part of the tenant mix include Yasuqi Cuisine and Sushi Bar, Tshepy Boutique, Piza E vino Bar and Pizzeria, Simply Asia, Off the Grid restaurant and bar, The Crazy Store, Shield Xpress Car Wash, Lamberti health and beauty store, Berliner speciality butcher Brooklyn Brothers, amongst others.   

“Our strategy has always been to constantly enhance and upgrade our retail assets to maintain dominance in the node being serviced. In these tough economic times, maintaining an efficient operating structure in order to contain the costs of occupation for our tenants in addition to innovative lease structures has resulted in securing a fully let centre at opening, which is by no means an easy feat currently,” she said.