Naalya-based Metroplex Shopping Mall is set to have a unique beautified appearance after receiving $21 million (about Shs78 billion) make-over by the Mauritian real estate development company, Gateway Delta Development Holdings.
Amongst the unique ventures that will occupy the refurbished facility is the French multinational retailer, Carrefour which is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world. It has 12,300 self-service shops (including 1,528 hypermarkets) in 30 countries worldwide. In Africa, it is only in Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
According to Pumi Lukhele, the Development Manager at Gateway Delta commented, the company is currently finalising the acquisition of Metroplex Shopping Mall and local consultants have already been appointed to commence with the re-development process.
“The location of Metroplex Shopping Mall is absolutely ideal from a retail point of view, especially with the construction of the new access road from Kyaliwajjala-Naalya expected to be completed this year. We believe that this will unlock the trading potential of the mall,” Lukhele said.
The new investors also revealed that the ongoing refurbishments are set to will create an approximated 800 jobs during the construction phase, as well as 400 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs after the official opening of the new mall in April 2020.
“The mall will host diverse leisure and entertainment offerings, excellent grocery stores, daily shopping services, cafés and restaurants and a diverse array of fashion stores among others,” said Marc Du Toit, the Head Retail at Knight Frank, a real estate firm that will be in charge of the mall.