JOHANNESBURG, June 29 - With two days to go until opening to the public, workers rush to put the finishing touches on the Kwena Square shopping complex, a shiny $13 million sign that South Africans are defying the global "retail apocalypse"."I love going to the mall with my daughter and my grandkids," said 54-year-old Kowie Erasmus, who's eagerly awaiting Friday's grand opening of Johannesburg's Kwena Square, which broke ground at the height of the pandemic.
, one of several retailers that said they would invest more in physical operations than online in this financial year.More than 300,000 square metres of new leasable retail space are set to be completed across the country this year, compared with about 367,000 square metres over the previous two years combined, according to data from property consultants Rode & Associates.
Traditional retail players in those markets have taken a pounding with over 17,500 chain store outlets vanishing across Britain alone in the first year of the pandemic. In the United States, the number of malls - already in a years-long decline - could drop to around 600 from just over 1,000 in 2020.
Furthermore, home deliveries are complicated by the fact some consumers lack recognizable street addresses, such as in townships which can lack proper signage.
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