It’s only two months since Atterbury’s The Grove Mall of Namibia has opened and rang in big changes in Windhoek. General Manager Johan van der Westhuizen gives an insider’s view.
The Grove’s slogan is Shopping Like Never Before. What has been your personal highlight so far?
One of the things that always comes to mind when looking back is the transformation from 23 October 2014 and how far we’ve come in such a short time, and to realise that we were part of that process.
And your biggest challenge?
We have to change the mindset of shoppers to realise we are trading later than standard malls in Namibia, and that we’re open until 7pm on Saturdays.
Have you had a quiet day yet? What’s your busiest and slowest day of the week?
It seems like The Grove Mall of Namibia is a weekend destination, with Mondays recording slower trade. But even Mondays are starting to pick up.
You even had a polling station in the mall on Namibian election day. Did the mall offer anything special on the day?
On 28 November 2014, the polling station was added as a motivation for stores to trade. And it was worth it; it was also a record-breaking day for the retailers regarding sales.
What did The Grove do for the festive season?
Apart from festive décor we had roaming festive season entertainment every weekend, a gift-wrapping station as added value for shoppers, and we had Kosmos radio hosting an outside broadcast to promote various specials that ran in the various stores. We also ran a competition on Facebook.
Did you trade on Christmas?
25 December 2014 was a voluntary trading day.
Your Facebook page has over 35 800 likes already. Are you finding the feedback from customers on there useful?
Facebook is a great platform to disseminate and generate information. The majority of feedback still revolves around construction issues and when the remainder of the 126 stores will open. We have also received a lot of positive feedback about the mall in general.
People on Facebook are asking for a bookshop and better facilities in the baby-changing rooms – are you doing anything about that?
Yes, leasing is busy with negotiations to source a suitable bookshop. We’ve contacted Toys R Us about a sponsorship for baby changing mats as well.
When are the cinemas opening? On Facebook it looks like people really can’t wait!
Ster-Kinekor will open end of January 2015. Promotions will be done to splash the opening.
Have you had any security issues – how do you safeguard against potential criminal elements?
A security company will be patrolling the centre 24/7, which will include a panic button system and CCTV cameras will be installed throughout the mall. In addition the mall has security guards in the parking areas as well. Also, we have a Guest Relation Officer at the Information Desk on the upper lever of The Grove Mall of Namibia to assist with shopper queries. All queries, comments, compliments and complaints can be lodged there and we provide feedback regarding the queries back to the shoppers, tenants and management team respectively.
Do you have a Lost and Found? Has anyone lost a child yet?
Yes, we do offer a Lost and Found at the Information Desk. All Guest Relation Officers are informed of lost items and a log system is in place. We’ve had a handful of incidences of lost children, but they were all returned to their families in a very short amount of time.
What is the nicest feedback you’ve received from a customer in the mall?
Overall the best feedback is that the shoppers return even though we are not yet completely operational.
