Pine Crest shopping Centre in Pinetown has been transformed and the major renovations are nearing completion.
The revamp, which began in January 2018, includes an upgrade, an expansion that created an entire new floor of retail beneath the original centre and a stylish overall redesign. And, the fact that is construction took place while the centre continued to trade, is a noteworthy achievement.
As a proud symbol of its new beginning, the centre has been rebranded. The new Pine Crest brand links with its heritage and history, inspired by Zulu symbology, but also connects to the future.
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An exciting architectural project, the overall design concept for the reinvigoratedcentre reates a neutral, clean, crisp and elegant space that emphasises movement and textures,and showcases its retail brands superbly.
The centre has served the community of Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, for nearly 30 years.
It opened in the late 1980s to become the first shopping centre in the town and it is still the biggest retail centre in Pinetown CBD.
“Pine Crest’s upgrade is focused on the people of this great community; their expectations and the experiences they enjoy,” said Vukile MD South Africa, Itumeleng Mothibeli.
“The redevelopment of this asset has been delivered using a customer-centric market space value design to ensure that the product will appeal to the entire community and the broader Pinetown ecosystem. We hope that this approach will result in the enhanced user experience for our most valued stakeholder, the shopper.”
Internally, the entire mall has a new fresh look, more retail brands and better customer flows.
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An upgrade highlight involved a portion of the centre’s ground-level parking being converted into a new retail level with a convenient entrance perfect for pedestrians using the bustling Kings Road, which links to nearby taxi facilities.
The conversion also added an indoor-outdoor food court unique in Pinetown. It features eight eateries, plenty of seating and a children’s play area.
The food court links directly to a greatly improved open-air parkade set to include the western terminus for Phase 1 of the eThekwini Municipality’s newly introduced GoDurban bus route.
Anchor retailers
Pine Crest’s powerful anchor retailer line-up of Pick n Pay, Game, Dis-Chem and Woolworths is enhanced by one-stop variety with food, banking, fashion, health and beauty, services and electronics, and major apparel brands from Foschini, Truworths, Edcon, Pepkor and Mr Price.
Customers can now also enjoy 20 new brands at the mall including Hi-Fi Corporation, OK Furniture, Roots Butchery, Power Fashion, Tekkie Town, Beaver Canoe, Skipper Bar, Soviet, Side Step, Cross Trainer, Ideals, Street Fever, Old Mutual, Torga Optical, City Max Home Wear and Beauty World.
New eateries at Pine Crest include Spur, Steers, Fishaways, Roots Grill, Pedro’s Chicken, Ocean Deep and Shawarma Express. Galaxy Bingo also adds to the entertainment.
The centre’s upgrade had environmental responsibility in mind.
Eco-friendly, energy-saving equipment has been added to the centre in the project. Escalators and lifts were replaced with modern, energy-efficient models.
The mall is now illuminated with the latest low-energy lighting systems. It air-conditioning upgrade means a cooler mall in all senses – improved air-conditioning, gentler environmental impacts, greater cost efficiency, and a better overall experience.
“We want to thank everyone involved in the project, and especially our wonderful retailers and loyal shoppers. We invested in a better, brighter future for Pine Crest because we believe in the future and the people of Pinetown. Pine Crest has been transformed into a real asset for its community and something that we can all be tremendously proud of,” said Mothibeli.
Pine Crest re-branding launch party.
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