They call it shoppertainment and now it is coming to Namibia… with the opening of Atterbury’s The Grove in Kleine Kuppe, Windhoek won’t have to get on a plane to experience shopping on an international standard any more. When it opens its doors at 9am on 23 October, The Grove will offer a one-stop destination for shopping, eating, socializing and entertainment, the likes of which Windhoek – and Namibia – has never seen before.
Namibians are so excited about the new mall that The Grove’s Facebook pagealready has almost 35 000 likes. And while some people were initially sceptical that the mall would open on time, now that the opening date of 23 October has been confirmed, the page is positively buzzing with excitement.
Many exclamation marks and comments such as “Yay!” “Yesss!” “Cannot wait!” “Fantastic!” populate the wall, as Namibians prepare for shopping on another level.
“There has never been anything on this scale in Namibia,” says development manager Stoffel van der Beek, who has been involved since the very first steps towards the dream were taken back in 2010 with the rezoning of the land. “We are talking about 55 000 square metres of high-end mall with the kind of attention to detail and mix of tenants that is a first for the territory. Just one small example: at the moment there is nowhere in Windhoek where people can watch a movie on a big screen. When The Grove opens, there will be eight Ster-Kinekor cinemas.”
And that is just entertainment. Atterbury brought all its expertise in mall construction to the capital city, to create a space where people can literally spend their entire day in relaxed comfort, with every need catered for. From carefully considered design that reflect the desert environment with its sand dune-inspired, organically curved walkways and ceilings, to amenities that are geared to comfort; plus Atterbury’s magic formula of getting the tenant mix and placement just right, everything has been taken into account.
