Retail Centres and Township Development

The development of shopping centres in township and rural areas in South Africa has increased significantly within the last ten years. This trend has been met with mixed reactions. It has been argued that the benefits to consumers, such as easier access to a wide variety of goods at cheaper prices, come at the expense of existing local enterprises that cannot compete with the shops in the centre. It is also argued that such centres play an important role in kick-starting urban renewal and development, by attracting other services and facilities to the area. Research shows that the overall positive versus the negative impact of a particular shopping centre is often less clear cut and will be affected by many factors related to its specific location and development process.

This case study provides an overview of the impact of such shopping centres on consumers and local enterprises. It suggests some strategies that a municipality can consider in order to reduce any negative impact and increase the positive impact of a retail centre, if a decision is made that a retail centre is appropriate for a particular area.

Abstracted based directly on original source