Mayor visits Springs for sod-turning ceremony
Everyone was moved when the mayor took the gold spade to dig up soil.
The officially broke ground on Wednesday at the sod-turning ceremony.
Ekurhuleni’s mayor Mondli Gungubele and Doctor Luigi Diodati of the Italian Embassy, were amongst the VIPs attended the sod-turning ceremony of the R850-million Springs Mall at Blue Crane Eco Park.
The event is bringing this eagerly awaited 52,000 square metres regional mall a step closer to becoming a welcome reality for shoppers in the greater Springs area and Ekurhuleni.
The event was hosted by developers and joint venture owners Flanagan & Gerard Developments, Blue Crane Mall (Pty) Ltd and the family of Giuricich Brothers.
Set to open in 2016, Springs Mall is the vision of Springs businessman Franco D’Arrigo.
The D’Arrigo family has lived in Springs for three generations and is passionately invested in the future of this city.
When it opens, it is expected to become the region’s dominant mall with an exciting mix of comprehensive, quality retail variety.
The mayor welcomed the businesses and families involved in this project as part of the greater picture of the city of Ekurhuleni.
Dr Diodati says most importantly the Italian families and the Flanagans will be giving jobs to the local community.
“Springs Mall at Blue Crane Eco Park is a superb answer to the shopping needs of a growing community that is under-served by retail.
“With an excellent location, access and visibility, it will make comprehensive one-stop shopping easy for the aspirant and upmarket residents of the area,” says Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan and Gerard.
The mall will also create an enduring legacy of positive social and economic impacts in the city and the region, for many years to come.
Currently between R300-million to R500-million in retail revenue is draining out of the city, as local residents take their valuable spend elsewhere.
Springs Mall will cater for shoppers in its primary market of greater Springs including residents from surrounding suburbs.
It will also attract shoppers from further afield including neighbouring towns including Nigel, Devon, Delmas and Leandra
In addition, Springs Mall will serve as an interceptor to the metropolitan area capturing trade on the N17 as far west as Ermelo in Mpumalanga.
The mall will boost the Springs economy by R1.2-billion. It will also create valuable employment opportunities.
“Local employment is a priority for the Springs Mall,” says Franco D’Arrigo.
“We’re working hard to ensure the Springs community benefits from the mall’s construction and the operation of its retailers. During its construction, the mall is estimated to create between 500 and 700 jobs and after it opens, it will create further 1 200 to 1 500 sustainable jobs,” he adds.
The mall will offer a complete shopping experience with two national supermarket chains as anchor tenants, complemented by two large national fashion retailers.
Added to this will be a wide range of appealing fashion, home ware, health and beauty, gifting and décor outlets, restaurants and important everyday services.
All of this will come together to create a great shopping experience in a world-class setting.
The mall is positioned in the suburb of Casseldale and it benefits from a prime position at the intersection of the N17 highway and R51/Wit Road.
It will offer accessibility off Jan Smuts Road and eye-catching frontage on the N17.
Its striking visibility means people travelling on the N17 highway will be able to see the two-level mall from up to 5km away.
Added to this is the convenience of free open-air parking on both its shopping levels with easy shopper access from both parking areas, through four entrances.
Flanagan adds CCTV cameras will cover all parking bays.
