Gucci, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana open at Umhlanga’s R1.3bn Oceans Mall

Italian high-end fashion houses Gucci, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana have opened swanky new stores in Umhlanga’s R1.3 billion Oceans Mall.

The mall, which is an anchor component of the larger R4.3 billion Oceans Umhlanga mixed-use development by property moguls Vivian Reddy and Rob Alexander, had its first phase opening in November last year.

On Friday evening, the second-phase ‘Platinum Walk’ section will be officially launched; however, several of the stores have already begun trading.

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Reddy says the new lux section at Oceans Mall is modelled around the lines of Sandton City’s Diamond Walk and brings several international luxury fashion brands to the Durban and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) markets for the first time, with destination stores.

Around 20 new stores are part of Platinum Walk. Besides Gucci, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, other international brands opening stores at the mall include London’s Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Emporio Armani, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Paul & Shark, GAP and Mont Blanc.

MaXhosa, the luxury SA knitwear brand founded by Laduma Ngxokolo, is also opening there.

The 36 000m² Oceans Mall has around 120 stores, restaurants, and other outlets.

JSE-listed Shoprite and Woolworths are anchor tenants in the centre, with the former having six store brands represented, including a flagship Checkers FreshX supermarket and one of its first Checkers Outdoor stores in SA.

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Other new names to the area include Coco Safar, Signature restaurant and Tiger’s Milk.

Reddy says the mall and overall Oceans Umhlanga development represent a major vote of investor confidence in Durban, especially after the devastating riots in July 2021 and KZN floods last year.

The project is one of the largest mixed-use developments in SA, incorporating the mall, a five-star Radisson Blu Hotel (also opened last year), luxury apartment towers (still to be developed), and a yet-to-be-launched super-car dealership.

Part of the R4.3bn Oceans Umhlanga development, which includes the Oceans Mall and Radisson Blu Hotel. Image: Durban Tourism

Competition

Oceans Mall represents competition for nearby major malls and community shopping centres, such as Old Mutual’s Gateway Theatre of Shopping, Growthpoint’s La Lucia Mall, the adjacent Pearls of Umhlanga shopping centre (developed by Anant Singh), Emira Property Fund’s Granada Square and Umhlanga Shopping Centre (formerly Buxtons Centre).

While Old Mutual property executives have previously played down the competition presented by the new Oceans development, Gateway has struggled to secure super-luxury fashion houses to take up space.

Old Mutual’s 176 000m² super-regional mall does have a broader catchment area, attracting over 20 million shoppers a year, but the centre was not unscathed by the Covid-19 fallout with outlets like LC Waikiki, Hussar Grill and Superspar closing permanently. Hussar Grill has since opened at Oceans Mall.

Gateway is however undergoing a multi-million-rand upgrade, largely to its ‘Great Hall’, including lifts and flooring. The defensive move also comes amid competition from Investec’s Cornubia Mall, located just across the N2 highway, near Mount Edgecombe.

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The Gateway upgrade does not include an expansion, as the centre underwent an R750 million extension, which was complete in 2018.

Meanwhile, Emira has also had to fork out and invest in its Granada Square property. Last year it spent R10 million for a small upgrade “to ensure the centre remains relevant”. The Woolworths Food store at Granada Square has closed, no doubt due to the group opening a bigger store at Oceans Mall just down the road in Umhlanga Rocks.

Listen to Reddy speaking about the Oceans Umhlanga development on The Property Pod (or read the transcript):