Co-owners pump R2bn into Menlyn Park Shopping Centre redevelopment

Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria is set become one of the largest malls on the continent and in the southern hemisphere, with over 500 shops.

Image gallery

Pretoria’s Menlyn Park Shopping Centre is undergoing a major redevelopment by the co-owners, Pareto Limited and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company, in a R2 billion expansion project that will add a host of top retailers to the existing tenant mix.

The two-phased extension and refurbishment of the mall is being led by retailer demand and growing shopper support, will add approximately 50,000 m2 and 200 more stores to the centre.

It will also create exciting new diverse retail and entertainment areas in the mall.

Pareto Limited holds 50% ownership of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (South Africa) Limited also has a 50% stake.

“The Menlyn Park shopper is fashion forward and appreciates quality design,” says Marius Muller, CEO of Pareto. “We believe they’ll appreciate the sophisticated new brand, which is aligned with the mall’s iconic status, as well as the unique and quirky imagery that evokes Pretoria and is also distinctly South African.”

Construction commenced in April 2014, with the entire project scheduled for completion in November 2016.

“For those who've grown up in Pretoria, Menlyn has been a part of their childhood and is the venue of many shared memories and stories,” explains Peter Levett, CEO of Old Mutual Property.

“Menlyn is not only a landmark in Pretoria, but is synonymous with the things that make us feel good and look good – entertainment and fashion,” Levett said.

The ‘M’ in the new logo will still reflect the architectural features of the mall, as the previous one did. However, they now form a unique symbol crowning the beautifully crafted, and distinct Menlyn logotype.

Menlyn has also created a library of unique and distinctly Menlyn images across a variety of themes that will be used in all artwork, replacing its former use of royalty-free stock images. A celebration of its city, each image contains a backdrop designed from elements within the Capital City, forming some unusual and highly individual patterns.

“The people in the images are all real Menlyn Park Shopping Centre fans, which makes the artwork a completely authentic reflection of our shoppers, our city and gives it a unique South African flavour,” says Muller.