Rural retail development specialists, McCormick Property Development (MPD) have expanded their footprint in the Eastern Cape with the recent opening of Flagstaff Square.
The centre brings the total number of rural retail developments done by the MPD team to 69. It is their second development within the Eastern Cape to date, with a third, KwaBhaca Mall in Mt Frere, currently under construction.
The 10 956sqm development is a double level mall located in the town of Flagstaff and offers the community convenient and essential retail in a first class setting.
Anchored by Shoprite and Clicks, Flagstaff Square boasts 43 stores and 4 ATM’s. The tenant mix has a strong fashion focus with the Truworths, Foschini, Pepkor and Studio 88 groups all well represented.
Construction on the project started in late 2020 and despite 62 days (over 820mm) of rain delays, the Mall opened on schedule in late October.
A joint venture between locally-based Eyamampondo Properties and MPD, Flagstaff Square required a substantial amount of investment to create the support infrastructure needed to ensure the development’s success. The roads around the site were upgraded, a 440 kVA grid tied PV rooftop system was installed to cater for power consumption and plans had to be made for sewage and water treatment plants.
Approximately 50% of the total workforce during construction was local and most of the machinery used, including the tipper trucks, TLB’s and excavators were owned and operated by locals. The project created 203 local jobs during construction with an anticipated 550 permanent employment opportunities having been created through tenant staffing and the Mall’s management team.
Cleaning and security contracts have been awarded locally and specific space has been allocated for local hawkers with hawker stalls having been built and completed prior to opening.
One of the most unique elements of Flagstaff Square is the incredible graffiti work throughout the centre. Three feature walls, designed and painted by local graffiti artists Sphesihle Langa and Mduduzi Dzabine, create eye-catching and inspiring spaces that are sure to become selfie hotspots for the community.
“We love creating unique, one of a kind shopping experiences,” explains MD of MPD, Jason McCormick. When we create a space for communities to shop, we want to create a space that they feel connected to. There is no doubt that in Flagstaff Square, this connection has been created by the amazing artwork done by Sphesihle and Mduduzi.”
The groundwork for Flagstaff Square began almost 10 years ago when construction started on MPD’s first development in the Eastern Cape, Lusiki Plaza.
“In the 38 years that we have been developing potential sites, what has separated us from our competitors has been the ability to identify opportunity,” explains Jason. “The time for rural retail in the Eastern Cape is now and we are already working on a number of additional developments in the province.”
KwaBhaca Mall in Mt Frere is currently under construction and set to open in late 2022 with a pipeline of developments including Bizana and Idutywa all in advanced stages of planning and leasing.
