Cresta Shopping Centre
Cresta Shopping Centre –the go-to place since 1977
As one of the largest shopping centres in South Africa, Cresta has grown into a Johannesburg shopping and leisure icon, now boasting over 260 stores and an immense variety of quality offerings.
Cresta is a vastly popular venue that has always retained a certain nostalgia with many of its shoppers who have been frequenting the centre for years. The aspirational retail offering features a hub of fashion, food, décor, tech and services.
As the centre looks to the future, it seeks to expand its experience for its visitors by adding some unique attractions. The centre’s original 1977 design incorporated a large fish tank near where present day Checkers is located.
After thorough planning over the past two years, the centre’s aim is to launch South Africa’s first and only mall-based aquarium in the centre of the food and entertainment court. The project will introduce visitors to over 30 species of fish, with the aim to make the centre a leisure destination for the whole family.
General manager of Cresta Shopping Centre Virginia Bester said, “As a centre, we pride ourselves in bringing innovative and all-encompassing shopping experiences to our shoppers and tenants.
The CrestAquarium launching in July 2019 gives us the opportunity to provide more entertainment, and now, edutainment under one roof.”
With a sophisticated design and planning process, the aquarium forms part of a two-year expansion and modernisation project for the centre.
Previous parts of the expansion process included closing the open air amphitheatre in 2014 and building a large food and entertainment court, which saw various fast food outlets, restaurants and new restaurants moving into the new development.
The Ster-Kinekor cinema also moved from the lower section underneath Game to the new entertainment court.
Seasoned visitors to the centre will remember that the area where the cinema used to be included a bowling alley and arcade.
So before our mom passed away in 2008, we would often go to Mugg and Bean for their lemon meringue pie and to Wimpy for their sunrise breakfast. Cresta was her favourite place to take us…. great memories.
LAU SMITH
I remember the ice rink and going for dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the ice rink.
ALISON HUMPHREY
One of the best memories was watching Star Wars with my best friend in your special cinema!! It was insane!
JEVON JOHNSON
My first date was at the Roller Skating Rink, which was on the Game side of the centre – I was 15, had never skated in my life!
A few years later they built an ice rink, my best Friday nights were spent there, good, healthy, recreational fun.JO VAN DER MOLEN
My best memories was to drive out all the way from Discovery/ Roodepoort to come and watch the huge fish tank that stood at the end of the centre.
JOHAN TREDOUX
My favourite memory is the opening of the new extension wing where the food court is now and in 2003 they gave away a car that time…was awesome.Also fondly remember the carols by candlelight that was hosted here.
KRISHNEE GOVINDSAMY
A grand opening day to always remember
Cresta Shopping Centre officially opened to the public on 28 July 1977, changing Randburg’s shopping landscape for years to come.
Before it opened, Cresta Shopping Centre was called Nedbank Cresta thanks to the bank’s investments in building the original property – the centre cost R10 million to build.
The original land the shopping centre used to occupy was 13 7453 hectares, roughly three times the size of Zoo Lake.
The centre was strategically positioned to align to the main roads that we now know as Beyers Naudé Drive, Republic Road, and the then-under-construction N1 highway.
Cresta was the first shopping centre of its size to cater to the public of the north-western suburbs, and although initially aimed at serving shoppers in Randburg and Sandton, it attracted shoppers from the West, South and East rands.
Cresta was also the first centre to be fully air-conditioned over two levels, and the first centre in the country to allow daylight into the walkways to naturally illuminate and create a ‘weather-free’ shopping experience.
The centre’s first manager was Keith Nortjé and its first development manager was Vic Erasmus.
In an article written by the then
Northcliff Blackheath Times in July 1977, Nortje said, “Cresta answers the question: ‘What shall we get for Grandpa? Or Mum? Or Johnny, Mary or Sue?’
“Success will work on ensuring that what the public wants, the public gets.”
The centre was opened by the then-mayor of Randburg, A C Hattingh, allowing shoppers to browse through the 72 original stores on opening day.
Some of these stores included
Checkers, Truworths, OK Bazaar, Edgars, as well as a multitude of banks and clothing was on special for a mere 99c.
Shoppers had the opportunity to ‘strike it rich’ by winning R4 000 in shopping vouchers by hunting through all of the newly opened stores for a golden nugget, as well as various other prizes donned by stores on opening day.
Many centres like Cresta caused concern for critics who thought that major shopping malls that provided nearby convenience and security would pull customers away from the bustling Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD), thus causing business in that area to suffer losses.
My fondest memory is of stopping at the Donut shop that was opposite Game, every time we shopped at Cresta. Also, the first Barnyard show my family and I went to watch, was at the Cresta branch.
LAILA MARTAH
I used to love riding on the train and eating burgers downstairs by that restaurant that’s where Clicks is now.. the train used to run from the bottom of those escalators. And ice skating! We learnt to skate there, think it used to be where Game is now!
LISA LOUISE
I support this mall 100%, from the days when we used to take our kids go- carting at the back, where the movies are now situated, and now 18 years later, I can definitely say Cresta Mall is still my go-to mall in Johannesburg, it is convenient, and caters for everyone and everything!!! Love my shopping experience at Cresta Mall.
NISHANA NAIR
Been going for many years… shopping, eating, window shopping (checking my purse) and the best stax of parking!
YVETTE CHANSOME
I went on my first date with my husband there. I managed to knock a bowl of garlic butter on him.
BIANCA BRADFIELD
When my mom was still alive she used to order pastries for school functions from an amazing shop there. I remember going to collect them for a function and there were about 300 pastries that we had to somehow get into the car. The sweet smell and sight of them all squeezed into the car and boot. .was something to behold. One of my favourite memories!
HELEN HUMPHRIS JOUGHIN:
Cresta keeps up with the times
Cresta Shopping Centre has become the staple shopping destination for the Joburg North public, thanks to the variety of shops, food and entertainment that the centre boasts.
The original centre was built in 1977, with its first refurbishment in 1987 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Many seasoned citizens will remember that it was during this refurbishment that an outside fun park with a castle and pirate ship with water cannons was added.
The original design of the shopping centre had a model train that would run through the centre, stopping at various places around the inner mall to allow passengers off. The train would then come out one of the entrances and around a loop.
Turning the train around inside the centre was done on a giant turntable, which became more popular to watch than the train itself. The train was removed in approximately 1992.
The second refurbishment included the addition of an ice-skating rink. The rink was subsequently changed into the Ster-Kinekor cinema complex.
As more and bigger shopping centres opened in Joburg North, the centre found it hard to keep its list of tenants and customers stable, and a third refurbishment was in order.
Since the last revamp in 1993, over half a billion feet had made their way through the centre, so it was time for ‘the old girl’ to get a major makeover, to make her young and beautiful again.
The refurbishment included the creation of new shopping space. In terms of the centre’s expansion, the new section, colloquially known as the Bridgelink, saw the construction of a lower level bridge of shops across Weltevreden Road, to link Clicks and Ster-Kinekor. New toilets, fixtures, fittings, mall tiles, signage, glass balustrades, escalators and the like were installed.
As one of the largest shopping centres in South Africa, Cresta has grown into a Johannesburg shopping and leisure icon, now boasting over 260 stores and an immense variety of quality offerings.
The centre features a diverse mix of stores anchored by Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Checkers, Game, Edgars, Ster-Kinekor and Mr Price Emporium, and boasts noteworthy brands such as Zara, iStore, Lindt, Lush Cosmetics, Carrol Boyes, Le Creuset and South Africa’s largest Dis-Chem.
The centre has recently expanded to create an amazing three-level food and entertainment court that features a variety of local and international restaurants, as well as great entertainment offerings for everyone.
