A brief history on the Menlyn Park shopping mall and how it has shaped the area

Very few locations around South Africa have solely developed around a shopping facility, yet in Menlyn Pretoria, it would seem this is uniquely the opposite. Menlyn Park first opened its doors in 1979 and today is one of the most visited and loved shopping experiences in the entire city of Pretoria and the African continent.

It was converted into a highly regarded facility in 1988, 9 years after its inception by Bild Architects and was a building that was initially built by Old Mutual Properties prior. Today the structure is owned by Pareto Limited. Innovation is key to the longevity of the shopping facility which has gone through various facelifts over the years. 1998 was the year that the shopping facility underwent one of these facelifts where American design firm “Development Design Firm” contributed to making Menlyn Park shopping facility the aesthetically pleasing building it is today.

After this monumental upgrade took place in the late nineties Menlyn boasted over 300 stores, 37 restaurants, an iconic rooftop Drive-In vintage theatre and a modern day cinema complex from Nu Metro. In 2000 the facility saw another major overhaul before its last extension in 2016. By then the modern shopping centre with a retro history was one of the most extensive in Pretoria. Today Menlyn Park boasts over 500 shops, with an assortment of products, clothing, gadgets, and accessories second to none. This revamp also enabled Menlyn Park to receive a 4-star Green Star SA Retail Design rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). This revamp raised the already sought-after shopping facilities status to largest in Africa.

“With the eco-friendly expansion increasing their floor space to over 177 000m2, it has become the largest shopping centre in Africa with a Food & Fun Court, Fashion Wing, Grocery Avenue, Central Park and an outdoor piazza” - https://rekordeast.co.za

OfficePlace a leading commercial property brokerage who has a vested interest in Menlyn believes that the area has grown exponentially over the last few years largely due to developments such as Menlyn Park. Other more recent initiatives in terms of retail and mixed developments in Menlyn include Menlyn Maine a project which is being praised for its dedication to environmental sustainability, innovation, and creativity. This recent development has become an extension of Menlyn Park and is developing into a green city which is one of the first of its kind for South Africa. “The Melrose Arch-style collection of Green Star SA-rated commercial buildings known as Menlyn Main marries flats, shopping areas and a business district in a new trendy 'precinct'.” - www.sa-venues.com. OfficePlace has 42 listed properties for rental in the Menlyn area this is a clear indication of the region's credibility when it comes to office space rentals within the greater Gauteng expanse.

This isn’t all that’s in for store for Menlyn and there will be additional buildings added which will increase functionality to the existing structures. “Additional pipeline development includes Menlyn Towers, a 20 storey Michelangelo Hotel look-alike, due to go up on the corner of Garsfontein and Matroosberg roads, and several high-rise residential and office buildings. These simply add to Menlyn's transformation from a sedate neighbourhood into the more trendy live, work and play phenomenon”. - www.sa-venues.com.

Menlyn is quickly becoming an area hot on everyone’s lips as South Africa’s newer fresher version of Sandton. With additional developments to the already iconic Menlyn Park shopping centre and additional add-ons such as the pivotal and environmentally conscious Menlyn Maine, it would seem there really isn’t a better time to invest in the area. Get in contact with an OfficePlace broker today and start your next commercial operation from one of South Africa’s fastest developing areas.