Joburg Shopping Festival set to attract Africa-wide audience

Widely recognised as the retail capital of Africa, Gauteng is gearing up to host the upcoming Joburg Shopping Festival, set to take place from July 28 to August 9.

With the support of proud partners the Gauteng Tourism Authority, the City of Joburg and UnionPay International, and now in its third year, the retail sales bonanza will see five of Gauteng’s most popular shopping malls offering massive sales over a thirteen-day period. Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, the Oriental Plaza, East Rand Mall and Rosebank Mall have all confirmed participation in this year’s edition of the Festival.

The Joburg Shopping Festival, largely inspired by the 21-year-old Dubai Shopping Festival, is fast developing into a tourism attraction for visitors from across the African continent, positioning the city and province as a convenient, budget-friendly shopping destination.

“Visitors to the Joburg Shopping Festival will not only be amazed by our shopping (it’s the best on the continent of Africa), but also by the welcome they’ll receive from locals, the ease of using Gautrain and Rea Vaya public transport and the wealth of restaurants, shows, museums and events going on,” commented the head of Joburg Tourism, Bintu Petsana.

“Signature events in Gauteng contribute to the economy in significant ways by attracting large numbers of visitors, thus supporting businesses and creating jobs. The Joburg Shopping Festival supports not only the tourism sector, but also retail, design and manufacturing.

Gauteng is Africa’s shopping hub, and so it is the natural choice for Africa’s signature shopping event, said the head of the Gauteng Conventions and Events Bureau, Nonnie Kubeka.

This year’s festival is supported by a variety of brands that have recognised the value of the event, and who are keen to align with the initiative – including South African Airways, Gautrain, the City Lodge Hotel Group, Uber and Sun International. The festival will also give shoppers the opportunity to win an exciting array of prizes, among these SAA air tickets, tickets to the Joy of Jazz event, getaways to Sun City and the grand prize – four chic Chevrolet Sparks.

“We’re excited to bring the Joburg Shopping Festival to Gauteng for the third year. It continues to grow and grow. It’s the biggest shopping event on the African continent, and the special deals and prizes make it well worth travelling for,” said founder and CEO of the Joburg Shopping Festival, James Delaney.