Moolman Group develops the first Makro in Free State province

Artist renderings of Makro Bloemfontein developed by Moolman Group

The first Makro in Free State province will open in Bloemfontein in September 2012.

Makro Bloemfontein will be the 17th Makro store in South Africa and is being developed by Moolman Group - a leading national property company - for Makro on a triple-net lease. 

Moolman Group, with its partners, has built four other Makro stores: Silver Lakes, Wonderboom and Vaal, all in Gauteng, and most recently in Polokwane, Limpopo. 

“Makro Bloemfontein is an important investment in the city. It reflects the region’s growing consumer market and will better meet local retail needs,” says Pieter Lombaard, CEO of Moolman Group. 

Makro is the trading name for the Masswarehouse division of Massmart Holdings Limited. US giant Wal-Mart recently purchased a 51% stake in Massmart. 

The expansive 17,000sqm Makro is on a landmark site west of the city, at the junction of two major national highways - the N8 to Kimberley and the N1.

Lombaard explains the location superbly serves Bloemfontein’s business district and growing residential nodes, but will also draw shoppers from across the province and neighbouring Lesotho.

Besides the 840 parking bays incorporated in Makro Bloemfontein, surrounding roads will be developed to ensure safe, easy access to the store to the benefit of all road users and Makro shoppers.

Work on Makro Bloemfontein has already started. It will comprise its distinctive big-box warehouse club format. It will also include a separate liquor store and butchery with chillers, and an office supplies section. 

Lombaard explains more goes into the design and development of a Makro store than at first meets the eye.

Besides the highest level of functionality, energy efficiency and green building are a major focus of development and operation beyond construction. As a low-cost, low-margin, high-volume business, Makro relentlessly seeks to improve efficiencies. Lombaard notes: “Each new Makro store we develop is more efficient than the last, and Makro Bloemfontein is no exception.”

Makro Bloemfontein has been specifically designed to use less water and electricity in its operations, produce fewer emissions and to incorporate an increasing number of natural elements, from natural light to water-wise planting.

“This is good environmental practice. It also saves costs which ultimately benefit Makro customers,” says Lombaard. Makro Vaal, a Moolman Group development, has become the blueprint for all new Makro stores.

“Makro Bloemfontein is set to become an important asset for the Free State community,” reports Lombaard.

Founded in Polokwane, Moolman Group has operated successfully in the property industry for more than four decades. Its core business is the development and acquisition of property investment. Besides its Makro developments, Moolman Group successfully developed, amongst others, Newpark Centre in Kimberley, Cosmos Centre in Bethal and City Centre in Polokwane. It co-developed Mall of the North in Limpopo as well as Middelburg Mall, Mpumalanga, which opened in April 2012.