BRIGHTWATER COMMONS EFFECTIVELY MANAGING ITS WASTE
Retail property developer, Fountainhead Property Trust (FPT), the owners of The Brightwater Commons in Johannesburg, has committed itself to “retrofitting green” and managing waste effectively at the Commons.

BRIGHTWATER COMMONS SAVES SUBSTANTIAL WATER RESOURCES
Having made a commitment to its shareholders, tenants and public, through the launch of Brightwater Commons' Carbon Offsetting Program in October last year, FPT has started moulding the centre into a retail entity that is environmentally friendly. This with the help of turn-key sustainable development company, OrganiCarbon and reputable marketing and communication company, A-Z Philosophy that are assisting in plotting a sustainable way forward for the centre, which can be independently verified and is transparent.

BRIGHTWATER COMMONS TAKES UP THE GREEN CHALLENGE
As sustainable development fast becomes one of the most important political issues on a global and local scale the South African government and business sector are rapidly taking heed of the above by entrenching programmes to reduce negative impacts on the environment. 'The shopping centre and retail industry is undergoing huge changes and we are likely to find ourselves in the frontline of the environmental agenda, with a real opportunity to lead the way. Mooted plans to introduce a new levy this year on the sale of electricity generated from non- renewable sources - at a rate of 2 cents per kWh - in an effort to stem demand (in response to power shortages) will come into effect.

21ST CENTURY CUSTOMERS
They demand the best service and top price, and they want it now "When an agent sits down with a client, it's pretty certain the client will be able to anticipate what the agent is going to say or do," says Pam Golding Properties (PGP) Gauteng MD Ronald Ennik, who represents residential sales on the PGP board. "The average person in the property marketplace isn't as naive as a few years ago. Clients have a far greater understanding of what's going on and how the process works. In the past people bought more on gut feel."

V&A WATERFRONT - WILL THE MALL PALL?
Are our giant retail malls on their way out? About 1 000 delegates to the SA Council of Shopping Centres' retail conference held in Sandton last week were told that a worldwide trend to reject the enclosed world of shopping centres was spreading to SA.

FALL OF THE MEGA-MALL
If retailers and property owners want to continue to attract shoppers, they need to offer an alternative to the air-conditioned concrete boxes that are still mushrooming on South Africa's retail landscape. This sentiment was echoed by a number of speakers at the recently held annual congress of the SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC). The general view is that SA consumers are becoming bored with huge enclosed malls that generally tend to offer nothing new but only more of the same.

SENTRUM IS VEEL MEER AS WINKELS ONDER EEN DAK
Die dinamika van die winkelsentrumbedryf verander dramaties namate kleinhandelsentrums regoor Suid-Afrika opskiet. Volgens dr. Dirk Prinsloo, voorsitter van die Suid-Afrikaanse raad vir winkelsentrums (SACSC) en uitvoerende hoof van Urban Studies, is meer as 500 000 m² se kleinhandelruimte tussen 2005 en 2006 voltooi en ’n verdere 900 000 m² is in aanbou of in die finale beplanningsfase.

CENTRES HARD-PRESSED TO KEEP UP WITH TIMES
The amount of time it takes to develop a centre and sign on tenants often means that by the time the tenants are trading, the centre is out of date, says Cheryl Adamson, a partner in property marketing company A-Z Philosophy.