"Developing 'The Falls' will provide world-class shopping in a ground-breaking 'green' setting," says CEO of Atterbury Group, Louis van der Watt. Atterbury assembled the site and secured its development rights.
The new concept store will feature fresh foods, more imported lines than any other of the stores and specialist ranges, unique to flagship stores. It will also include a restaurant, liquor store, wine boutique and cheese room.
"After the success of Pick n Pay On Nicol, we set about identifying further opportunities for this concept," notes Izak Joubert property director at Pick n Pay. "Securing the best possible position for our flagship concept was a priority. The convenient location on Hendrik Potgieter Road is within a consumer market that has shown strong growth and continues to flourish."
Wiehan Strydom, development manager for Atterbury, notes that it is a busy node, with high residential densities. "Despite the area being well-served by retail, there are few convenience shopping choices available to consumers."
Construction of the store began in January 2012 and it is scheduled to open before this year's festive season.
Besides introducing a top retail asset to the community, the store will also bring sustainable development to the node.
Daylight harvesting will make use of natural light with green building design and technologies such as building orientation, fenestration and louvers. In addition to water-wise planting, the building features rainwater harvesting and grey water use. It will also use energy efficient lighting in various ways, including LED lighting in the car park.
The building will also feature recycled materials in its construction. With its natural palette, the structure will be finished in glass, steel and stone.
Improved traffic flows are another benefit of the development. The developers will invest R10 million to upgrade to the surrounding road network.
"Road improvements include widening Hendrik Potgieter Road and creating a new intersection at the access road to the store," says Strydom. "All road users will benefit from these improvements."
Generous parking in wider-than-normal parking bays, shaded by indigenous trees, supports easy access.
Van der Watt points out the Pick n Pay is only the first phase of this development, which has a built-in expansion potential of an added 10 000 sqm retail and 15000 sqm offices. "Expansion of The Falls will be demand driven, in line with retailer demands and consumer needs," he concludes.
