On the eve of Friday 11 November, the who’s who of KZN – celebrities, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, politicians and the media – gathered to celebrate the official opening of the prestigious R1.3bn Oceans Mall in Umhlanga.
Red carpet experience
The evening started inside the luxurious mall where invitees were treated to a red carpet experience with champagne and canapés while perusing the mall’s offerings. They were then ushered into the opulent Radisson Blue conference room and greeted by host and well-known media personality Vanessa Marawa.
Guests were entertained with song and dance, and after enough mingling and networking was had,everyone was formally welcomed by co-developer Vivian Reddy.
An unforgettable experience
Reddy gave his thanks to the attendees and spoke about the challenges that the mall faced. “This iconic mall overcame barriers and obstacles. The project has won international awards, created thousands of jobs and brought economic prosperity to the people of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Reddy.
“We have the pleasure of offering every shopper an unforgettable retail experience.”
The 36,000sqm mall is part of the double award-winning R4.3-billion Oceans Umhlanga mixed-use development project which was awarded the best mixed-use architecture award at the International Property Awards in 2016 – 2017.
Oceans Mall puts KZN on the global map
Speeches were also given by the KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, the Mayor of eThekwini, Mxolisi Kaunda, and the executive head of the Government Employees Pension Fund,Musa Mabesa.
“Today we should all walk tall because the owners of this mall have put us on the global map,” said Ncube. “Hope springs eternally as we welcome and celebrate the spanking new Oceans Mall.”
State-of-the-art anchor tenants and nearly 120 stores are let
The mall opened its door to the public on 15 November with much fanfare, especially with the opening of its two state-of-the-art anchor tenants, Woolworths and Checkers. Over 97% of the mall’s 120 stores are let and are filled with both national and sought-after international brands.
The project created 6,000 jobs during construction and 2,500 permanent jobs at the mall itself, being called a catalytic development by the City of Durban.
The aspirational and opulent mall is a first for KZN and ranked alongside the other two exclusive malls in the country, Sandton City in Johannesburg and the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
International fashion-brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and Versace, and others will launch in the next phase of the mall opening in March 2023.
For more information, go to the mall’s website, or follow the social media pages for more details: @oceans_mall on Instagram and OceansMallSouthAfrica on Facebook.
