Maerua Mall continues to thrive despite the economic turmoil
Despite the country’s economic travails over the last couple of years, Maerua Mall has shown its confidence in Namibia’s ability to bounce back by commissioning and overseeing a major upgrade to the shopping centre that included the establishment of a brand-new Family Entertainment Centre.
“We decided to invest ‘against the cycle’ by upgrading Maerua Mall and introducing a new and exciting brand positioning,” explained Carel Fourie, CEO of Oryx Properties, owners of mall. The hugely popular Family Entertainment Centre ties in perfectly with Maerua Mall’s new motto, “Be part of the family”.
With every economic cycle there are opportunities as well as challenges, Fourie pointed out. “The pressures that some businesses are experiencing, as well as the competitiveness of the environment, forces all businesses to up their game in terms of customer experience and sustainability,” he says. This is why Oryx Properties, which is worth more than N$2 billion and has a diverse portfolio in Namibia and South Africa, positioned itself to take advantage of the difficult economic climate.
The motivation behind the Family Entertainment Centre was based on the premise that shoppers demand more experiences than pure retail. Safe and healthy environments are especially important for the youth of the country to visit. Construction of the Family Entertainment Centre started in March 2017 and was complete by November 2017. It is originally a European concept so most of the materials used to build it were sourced from Europe, especially from Sweden and the UK.
With many competing demands on consumers’ precious disposable dollars, shoppers are now demanding more than just retail when they venture out into malls. “For Windhoek and the entire Namibian community, we wanted to bring more options in terms of world-class entertainment,” says Fourie about the company’s decision to build the Family Entertainment Centre. Appealing to a wide range of tastes and ages, there’s something for everyone, from adrenaline junkies to corporates looking for team-building opportunities and parents who want to hold kids’ parties in a safe and healthy environment.
Built over two levels, the new 3 500m2 development includes a trampoline and climbing-wall centre, an 18-hole glow-in-the-dark mini-golf (a first for Namibia) and a foam pit. An ‘Africa’-themed indoor playpark features a 16-m-long four-lane slide, a massive ball pit, trampolines, and a spiral-climber obstacle course. The tenpin-bowling alley has four lanes and a shoe-hire kiosk, while the gaming area has 20 token-operated arcade machines featuring much-loved old-school games such as Pac-Man.
Included in the were modernising changes to the food court and introducing new key tenants, including Mugg and Bean and Panarottis, have signed up, and more new stores will be opening soon.
Caption: Construction of the Family Entertainment Centre started in March 2017 and was complete by November 2017. It is originally a European concept so most of the materials used to build it were sourced from Europe, especially from Sweden and the UK.
