According to BusinessTech, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria now houses 434 stores, the highest number of individual retailers in any South African mall.
The mall’s current size is about 177 000 square metres of gross lettable area (GLA, the space that can be rented to tenants). That makes it the second-largest centre in the country, trailing Fourways Mall, which measures roughly 178 000 square metres of GLA.
How Menlyn Park grew its shop count
Menlyn Park opened in 1979 after Old Mutual Properties funded a modest retail complex for the expanding Pretoria East population. Subsequent expansions were driven by rising foot traffic. BILD Architects led a major redesign, and a decade later Development Design Group, an American firm, partnered on another upgrade.
In 2000 the centre underwent an R800 million redevelopment that lifted its floor space to about 118 000 square metres and added roughly 300 stores. The project was noted for its tent-like roof structure and was praised as innovative at the time.
The most recent overhaul, carried out between 2014 and 2016 by property investment firm Pareto, cost around R2.5 billion. Completed in two stages, the expansion pushed the GLA to the current 177 000 square metres and re-configured former event spaces into a food court and a dedicated fashion wing. Pareto says the centre now hosts 434 stores, anchored by Woolworths, Checkers and H&M.
Fourways Mall, located in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, briefly claimed the title of largest mall by GLA after a 2019 expansion that added 1 000 square metres to reach 178 000 square metres. However, its website lists about 350 stores, well below Menlyn Park’s count.
Fourways Mall is currently adding a luxury restaurant complex at a cost of roughly R100 million, according to its strategic asset manager Flanagan & Gerard. The new development aims to capture high-end dining demand in the area.
For retailers, the distinction between GLA and shop count matters. A larger floor area can mean more parking and broader customer reach, but a higher number of individual stores often translates to greater foot traffic diversity and niche market opportunities. Small and medium-sized retailers may view Menlyn Park’s dense store mix as a sign of a vibrant tenant ecosystem, while larger anchor tenants might prefer the broader space offered by Fourways Mall.
South Africa’s mall sector has seen a wave of refurbishments and expansions over the past two decades, driven by urban growth and shifting consumer preferences. The competition between Menlyn Park and Fourways Mall illustrates how developers balance size, store variety and experiential offerings to attract both shoppers and tenants.
Retailers considering a South African location should weigh the trade-off between a mall’s total lettable area and its number of stores. Menlyn Park’s record shop count suggests a densely packed retail environment that could benefit niche brands seeking high visibility, while Fourways Mall’s larger footprint may suit retailers that need larger floor spaces or flagship formats.
For more analysis of retail trends, see our Retail & Consumer coverage.
Menlyn Park’s 2014-2016 refurbishment gave the centre a fleeting claim to South Africa’s largest mall title, a status it held only until Fourways Mall’s 2019 expansion pushed that rival to 178 000 m² of gross lettable area. The brief reign followed the R2.5 billion upgrade that lifted Menlyn’s floor space to roughly 177 000 m², surpassing its previous footprint by nearly 60 000 m². Although the record was short-lived, the milestone underscored the ambition of the property investment firm behind the project, which positioned Menlyn as a benchmark for scale-driven retail development in the country.
The two-stage overhaul converted zones formerly earmarked for events into a modern food court and a dedicated fashion wing, reshaping the centre’s internal circulation. By reallocating event-space, the developers created a contiguous retail corridor that links the anchor tenants Woolworths, Checkers and H&M with a broader mix of specialty stores. This re-configuration not only increased the number of individual outlets to 434 but also diversified the shopper experience, offering a blend of dining and fashion that aligns with contemporary mall-visiting patterns.
Large-scale mall refurbishments such as Menlyn’s typically progress through a phased delivery model, allowing parts of the centre to remain operational while construction proceeds. Financing for the R2.5 billion project was sourced by the owning investment firm, which coordinated with architects and contractors to schedule the two distinct stages. Upon completion of each phase, the new retail spaces are handed over to tenants, and the centre’s gross lettable area is officially updated in regulatory filings, marking the point at which the expanded capacity becomes available for lease.
Fourways Mall, built to serve the growing northern Johannesburg suburbs, celebrated its 23-year anniversary by unveiling an expanded footprint in September 2019, reaching approximately 178 000 m² of gross lettable area. The mall’s website notes that the expansion introduced improved parking access and additional entertainment zones, reinforcing its position as the country’s largest centre by size. Currently, a R100 million luxury restaurant complex is under construction, a move aimed at capturing high-end dining demand and further defining the Fourways precinct as a premium destination.
