Joburg Shopping Festival
The first Joburg Shopping Festival is expected to draw huge crowds of shoppers to the city, and pump millions of rand into its economy.
MALLS and centres across Joburg are expected to teem with shoppers during the inaugural Joburg Shopping Festival (JSF), which begins on Tuesday, 1 September. The festival will run until 30 September.
Over the month, Jozi will be Africa’s shopping mecca, with discounts of up to 50 percent on food and clothing for both local and international shoppers. Arts and culture, cuisine, fashion, jewellery and other local and international commodities will be highlighted during the month.
Nedbank, one of the sponsors, will create branded smart cards that will give shoppers a safe and secure means to pay for their goods. Co-ordinated shipping and logistical offers through U-Bag will allow people to have their purchases shipped to their homes or hotels.
Safe and secure, regular buses will ferry shoppers between shopping nodes and their hotels, creating a hive of activity.
It is anticipated that shoppers from across Africa and overseas will descend on Joburg, visiting China Mall, Maponya Mall, Jabulani Mall, Oriental Plaza, The Zone @Rosebank, Village Walk in Sandton, Trade Route Mall, The Boulders Shopping Centre, Walter Sisulu Square, Montecasino, Brightwater Commons, Fourways Mall, Westgate Shopping Centre, Northgate Shopping Centre and Southgate Mall.
Across these nodes, there will be shopping discounts of up to 50 percent at retail chains like Foschini, Edgars, Incredible Connection, Boogalos, NWJ Jewellers, Forma Viva, Metro Cash and Carry, Jet, Legit, Discom, Donna Claire, Markham, Sports Scene, Total Sports, Ackermans, Game, Shoprite, Identity, Khaliques, Milady’s, Queenspark, Sheri Shoes and Musica, to list a few.
Discounts
These retailers will offer an assortment of discounts, promotions and specials on clothing, food, jewellery and other merchandise.
Discounted and competitive rates on flights will be offered by South African Airways, Mango Airways, Air Zimbabwe, Air Malawi, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Arik Airlines and RwandAir. Shoppers will also be able to stay at Indaba Hotel, Protea Hotel, Citi Lodge, Don Suites, InterContinental and Southern Sun hotels at discounted rates.
According to the organisers, Hyde Park Mall, Killarney Mall, Carlton Centre, Walter Sisulu Square, Festival Mall, Key West Mall, Southgate Value Mart, Eastgate Shopping Centre and Melrose Arch management have shown an interest in participating in the festival.
The JSF is endorsed by the City and is hosted under the auspices of the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC), the department of economic development, public liaison, the 2010 office and the department of arts and culture. The Gauteng Tourism Authority and the Gauteng Economic Development Agency have thrown their weight behind it.
“[An] inclusive JSF will allow us to build on our desire to make the JSF an annual event that benefits all of Gauteng and showcases all of our many shopping nodes,” says Nonnie Kubeka, the head of marketing at the provincial tourism agency.
Johannesburg has more than 80 shopping centres, serving a resident population of about 3,5 million. There is also a strong cross-border market and during the festival more than 500 000 punters are expected to shop here.
Drawcard
The JSF is part of the JTC’s strategy to attract more people to Joburg, create an allure around its facilities and augment revenue in the tourism industry. It is envisaged that the shopping fest will act as a stimulus to growth in the retail sector and encourage investment.
Jason Ngobeni, the executive director of the City’s department of economic development, is optimistic that the JSF will serve as a catalyst to stimulate national and international business and retail tourism in Joburg, after what has been a rather quiet winter tourist season.
“If we are able to attract only 10 000 shopping tourists that spend in aggregate R5 000 between shopping and their food and lodging, we will be able to inject R50-million into the city’s economy in the midst of a very recessive climate,” Ngobeni explains.
The JSF concept emanates from world shopping nodes like Bangkok, in Thailand; Hong Kong; Malaysia; and Dubai. Dubai’s festival is the biggest money-spinner, with patrons in that Middle Eastern country splashing out more than $3-billion over the shopping month.
South Africa’s retail sector generates approximately R450-billion a year, R190-billion of which comes from Joburg. The city’s rapidly growing retail sector boasts an investment rate of more than R20-billion.
Spin-off benefits
Not only will the festival augment revenue in tourism, but other sectors like logistics, retail, transport and hospitality industries are set to gain, with the festival helping to entrench Joburg’s position as Africa’s premier shopping destination.
It is hoped that small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) will also enjoy the opportunity afforded by the festival to expose and sell their merchandise to the global consumers who are expected to swarm to Joburg.
A shopping festival of this sort is unique to Africa and is strategically being hosted in September to coincide with a variety of Heritage Month activities such as Arts Alive , the Soweto Wine Festival , the Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition, Basketball Without Borders, the fourth triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture, Soweto Festival and the Sanlam SA Fashion Week.
Joburg Shopping Festival
Other activities in the month include the African Congress of Shopping Centres, the Eskom Foundation SMME and Franchising Expo and the Pan African Health Congress.
“The JSF aims to showcase and promote the many festivals, meetings and all-round entertainment on offer in Johannesburg in September, making the ‘city with the golden touch’ the place to be this spring, truly Africa’s shopping mecca,” reads a press statement from the JTC.
Golden touch
Organisers want the JSF to be known as one of the 2010 legacy projects. “It is definitely a build-up firstly to 2010, so that people can experience what Johannesburg has got to offer and then the legacy that it will leave after 2010, when people will know that they can come back,” says Christa Venter, the director of operations in the City’s 2010 unit.
Like any other, the Joburg Shopping Festival will run under a theme: “Spring into Joburg and shop in the city with the golden touch”.
“The theme incorporates the new ‘city with the golden touch’ tag line that the [JTC] has launched to promote the city during the FIFA World Cup and beyond,” says Michael Sudarkasa, the festival co-ordinator.
In the southern hemisphere, September heralds the start of spring and is seen in retail and tourism circles as an ideal month for product launches and end or beginning of season sales. The JTC sees it as a great month to promote local tourism after the slower winter months.
“Definitely the JSF [will raise] the profile of Johannesburg as ‘the’ place to shop on the continent and this is likely to bring year-round additional foot traffic to our retail sector and lodgers to our hoteliers,” says Lindiwe Mahlangu, the chief executive of the JTC.
In addition to the shopping, Sudarkasa says all participating retail nodes will have a battery of entertainment scheduled for shoppers, including live music, theatre and dance, sport and professional conferences, as well as exhibitions and business tourism activities.
“In addition to offering visitors unique and attractive sales, product launches and promotional specials, the Joburg shopping festival also seeks to highlight Joburg as a noteworthy tourism destination in the country, particularly in the area of cultural and eco-tourism,” he says.
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