Big developments at South Africa’s largest shopping mall with many new stores, including Walmart, Nando’s, and Huawei

Fourways Mall, South Africa’s largest shopping centre, has made good progress in improving its performance and attracting more stores and shoppers.

Fourways Mall first opened its doors in the nineties, serving people who lived north of Sandton and Johannesburg.

It was a popular shopping destination for the rapidly expanding residential estates of Fourways, Bryanston, and Lonehill.

It was one of South Africa’s most popular regional malls with anchor tenants such as Pick n Pay, Woolworths, and Edgars.

On the back of this success and to serve the growing population in Fourways, the owners, Accelerate Property Fund, invested in an expansion project.

The project increased the gross lettable area (GLA) to 178,000 square meters, making it the largest shopping mall in South Africa by floor space.

The redevelopment and expansion were a disaster. It failed to attract the needed foot traffic and stores to justify the large amount spent on the project.

From 2021 to 2023, Fourways Mall’s vacancy rate increased from 3% to 8%, and net rent per square meter declined from R298 to R262.

Its fair value declined from R9.6 billion in 2020 to R8.04 billion three years later, illustrating its challenges.

The problems were clear to all who visited the shopping centre. Many shops were empty, whole areas were deserted, and there weren’t many shoppers.

Accelerate Property Fund’s financial reports also showed that the Fourways Mall was on life support, with big annual losses.

It had reached such concerning levels that Accelerate Property Fund (APF) had to launch a large-scale asset-disposal strategy.

This was needed to reduce its debt and fund critical ongoing capital expenditure and turnaround strategies at Fourways Mall.

Fourways Mall turnaround

In 2024, Accelerate Property Fund appointed Flanagan & Gerard and the Moolman Group to turn Fourways Mall around.

Paul Gerard, MD of Flanagan & Gerard, said the initial emphasis was on creating a seamless, secure, and enjoyable environment for visitors and tenants.

The plan included improved signage, introducing new tenants, installing full backup power, enhancing parking area lighting, and upgrading security measures.

They also want to optimise traffic flow, enlarge parking bays, and revitalise the mall’s surrounding area.

Over the last two years, most of these interventions have been implemented, and they are starting to produce positive results.

At the start of 2026, Fourways Mall announced that its vacancy rate had declined to 5.4%, with a growing sense of confidence from shoppers and tenants.

The company said the vacancy rate is expected to further reduce to approximately 5% by September 2026.

Foot count over the December 2025 period rose by 20% year on year, while the mall’s annual turnover increased by 14%.

It added many new brands to the centre, including Mangwanani, Nando’s, Old School, Popsicle, RocoMamas, RPM Gym and Walmart.

The Ster-Kinekor cinema in the shopping mall underwent a revamp that significantly improved the cinema experience.

It also launched events and activations, including the Speciality Coffee Expo, National Barista Championships, and night markets.

Earlier this year, Fourways Mall launched a R100 million upmarket development, The View, featuring premium dining and retail offerings, including Tashas and The Pantry.

Positioned on the intersection of Cedar Road and Witkoppen Road, construction is officially underway.

The development forms part of the broader repositioning of Fourways Mall and will offer a high-end dining and lifestyle experience.

Fourways Mall photos

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