Near any doctors’ rooms one expects to find a pharmacy, and when you have an ultramodern day clinic you expect an exceptional pharmacy. And that is exactly what patients who visit the new Club Surgical Centre at The Club will find… the ground floor will be the home of a brand-new specialist Dis-Chem store. We get the lowdown from Johan Roets, Atterbury’s retail leasing guru.
What makes this particular Dis-Chem store exceptional?
The store is around 760sqm, which is somewhat smaller than the typical Dis-Chem store, so the offering has been very carefully tailored to cater for the upmarket customers living in the direct catchment area. They had to be very smart with the product selection and space planning and therefore this store will offer a much more focused product selection while still providing what customers expect from Dis-Chem nationally.
When was the lease signed, and when will they be moving in? Is everything on schedule for the planned opening date?
The lease was signed on 29 May 2017 and Dis-Chem will open their doors to shoppers on 15 March… everything is still on track.
Almost time! What last-minute activities are currently taking place?
Dis-Chem is fitting out their store as part of their 60-day beneficial occupation period wherein they complete their own shop fitting. And yes, it’s almost opening time, so they are pretty well advanced by now, almost ready to invite expectant customers in!
Was the space earmarked for a pharmacy/health store from the start? Did the medical tenants require this or how did the process of selection work?
Yes, it was indeed earmarked to be a Dis-Chem from the start, although at the time we had our initial discussions, Dis-Chem didn’t have a smaller model to fit the space they were getting here. Since they are very underrepresented in the area they created a smaller model, tailormade to be suitable for this market. It was never a condition for the doctors to have a pharmacy, but having the day hospital in the same building, was however a condition from Dis-Chem; they will obviously benefit from the boost in dispensary sales on top of their normal retail offering. Dis-Chem was selected for this development as the perfect complement to the day hospital and the medical presence, as well as for their strong pulling power. We know they will be a great asset to the entire Club precinct.
How is the surrounding community’s feedback about the soon-to-be-active medical facilities – is this hotly anticipated?
The specialists who will be operating here are all extremely well known, not only in Pretoria, but all over the country, and we are as excited as the surrounding community to have specialists of their calibre in the precinct.
Is there any adjacent space still available in the Club surgical centre?
No, every square centimeter has been spoken for! The surgical centre itself will be fully occupied on 15 March on opening day.
