Shop nr 2 : 27 Square Meters, @ R R3000.00 p/m exc vat.

Please contact Mable Rykaart at 021 859 8000 or email info@realcorcape.co.za for more information.

After much form filling, report-writing and an interview, Adidas have agreed to provide the shop with its products to sell. This is a major achievement for the shop management as Adidas are very particular where their stock is sold; independents like Sport & Outdoor rarely comply with their somewhat stringent requirements.

Bad news for the Bulls supporters, Stormers apparel will shortly be on the shelves.

It is also hoped that official World Cup balls and associated clothing will hit the shop shelves imminently.

With the sale of bicycles rising substantially over the past few weeks particularly with the Cape Epic and the upcoming Cape Argus, Sport & Outdoor, with their dedicated bicycle repair centre, look set to become a force in the market.

As well as keenly pricing their bicycles, Sports & Outdoor are offering trade-in deals of up to R500 on old bicycles, which in turn will be donated to the local surrounding communities.

Most equipment required by serious and not so serious cyclists are available at the shop, specialised clothing, shoes, helmets, water bottles and water backpacks as well as the more technical requirements.

On the leisure side of things, tents are due for delivery any day now as well as other camping associated items.

Cape Storm, First Assent, Pringle are all stocked at the shop together with a wide range of other brands such as CAT.

Prices at the shop are as good if not better than those on sale over the pass, it looks like shops in the Mall are almost doing away with the need to travel so far for a bargain.

Realbuild, now extending its shop for the third time in less than a year, has become iconic in the region. Realbuild provides contractors, construction companies and the general public with products, service and a dearth of advice second to none.

“Competitive pricing and the willingness to go the proverbial extra mile have been quintessential in our success”, says Shaun Wagenaar, Realbuild’s dynamic Manager.

He of course fails to mention the long hours he puts into the smooth running of a successful business.

Providing raw materials such as cement and sand, the shop offers a huge variety of other goods that serve the many aspects of the building industry. Amongst the other products sold are paints, plaster, ladders, timber, tools to name but a few.

Experienced staff with expert knowledge of the industry are always on hand to offer advice and suggestions.

Word of mouth has been a huge factor in the success of Realbuild and an ever-growing base of loyal customers has been pivotal.

“If we do not have what our customer needs, we do absolutely everything we can to source it and get it to him or her as a matter of urgency”, continues Wagenaar.

It appears that, even during difficult economic times, and contrary to what we hear and read in the media, companies that successfully identify their markets, focus on their customers needs and above all provide a service that is second to none will succeed, whatever the financial climate.

Malls are getting bigger and the distance from one end to the other is getting longer. Wherever you park in the multi-storey carparks, you rarely find that you have parked close enough to the shops you want to visit.

Perhaps this is the intention, passing all those other shops on your way to your destination. A little like the supermarkets that display their bread and milk at the rear of the shop ensuring that customers have to pass all the ‘specials’ on their way to their basic needs. Not so clever when that distance can equate to almost a kilometre in some malls.

Bucking the trend somewhat, smaller malls are popping up here and there. The Marsh Rose Mall in Grabouw manages to have a variety of shops all within easy walking distance of each other. The Mall, built in part by women maintains a village feel to it.

Maybe the fact that women had a hand in building it is the reason for the sensible layout of the Mall.

“We wanted to build something that was not only going to serve the local community, but a shopping centre that would appeal to people traveling on the N2. A huge cavernous shopping mall really would not be convenient for someone who wants to pop in to the Superspar or just grab a bite to eat at the Dros”, says Deonette de Ridder of Realcor Cape, developers of the centre.

Smaller shopping centres are also seen as community centres by the locals and events and exhibitions service both the tenants and the public.

“We ensure that a regular program of activities occur at the Marsh Rose Mall, ranging from art exhibitions to craft markets and festivals. These type of activities lend themselves to the smaller shopping centres, benefiting the local community and the tenants”, continues de Ridder.

So does de Ridder believe that women are better at building shopping centres than men?

“That’s a bit of a thorny question, though Marsh Rose Mall is a great example of what women are capable of doing”, ends de Ridder.