Amanda de Wit is the leasing coordinator for Atterbury’s biggest retail project to date. She’s been part of the Atterbury family for three years, and gives us a glimpse into what it takes to populate a mall this size with the perfect tenant mix
How did you become part of the Mall of Africa project?
I came from a law firm, and also worked at the Property Company before I joined Atterbury in February 2012, initially as a PA. I was involved in the Newtown Junction project for a while, and then was moved to Mall of Africa at the end of 2012. I have learnt so much since then, and working on such a massive project means I am still learning every day!
Who is Amanda when she’s at home?
I matriculated in Warmbaths and then studied Business Administration at Technikon Pretoria. At the moment I’m busy with an LLB through Unisa, and when I have a bit of free time I love mountain-biking and socialising with my friends.
Tell us about your role at Mall of Africa?
As leasing coordinator I’m part of the team who is responsible for filling all the shops in the mall with the right tenants, to help make the Mall of Africa really special. We have about nine brokers who enlist tenants both nationally and internationally. Everyone knows about Mall of Africa and everybody wants to be in there so we get many requests, and offers from prospective tenants. We have more people interested than we have spots to lease, so it is a constant process of evaluating offers, considering the tenant mix at all times. I deal with the administration and the coordination and finalisation of the lease agreement process.
How many tenants do you need, and how far are you with this mammoth task?
To date we are about 80% let. In the end there will be between 250 and 300 shops, but the numbers are flexible… depending on the offers we get in, the original plans can change so that, for instance, one big store can be split up into two or three smaller ones.
What has been the biggest challenge of the job?
Our challenge is to make this SA’s most unique and distinctive mall. Fine-tuning the tenant mix is often one big juggling act.
And most exciting?
It’s been an adventure to see how the development has grown from construction phase to a final, complete operating structure. And the closer we get to the opening, the more exciting it gets! We have secured the big, key tenants that you’d expect in the mall, so now it’s about filling the remaining gaps with the most interesting tenants that will give us the edge, to ensure that every corner of the mall offers the best shopper experience possible.
Who’d be your dream tenant for the mall?
Michael Kors – we love the label and it would be great to have them in the mall!
In your opinion, what is the biggest benefit that MoA will bring to the area?
That Mall of Africa will really be a world-class shopping experience, bringing different international brands to South Africa. Also, the new free-flowing intersection that is being built over the highway, which is designed not to need traffic lights. This whole project is epic in scale!
