The Boardwalk Mall is a 24,000m² shopping centre built at the Boardwalk precinct in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
The development was carried out by property developer Flanagan & Gerard Group and real estate investor Moolman Group in partnership with Emfuleni Resorts. Emfuleni Resorts is a subsidiary of Sun International, a hotels, gaming and entertainment group in South Africa.
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In June 2019, the three companies signed an agreement to extend and upgrade the retail area at the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World in the Boardwalk precinct. The Boardwalk Mall is part of a 17ha redevelopment of the Boardwalk precinct. Flanagan & Gerard Group acquired two-thirds of the mall’s development site in April 2022, while Emfuleni Resorts holds the remaining third of the property.
The new mall was built in two phases with a R500m ($36.2m) investment. Construction of the Boardwalk mall began in May 2021. The first phase of development was completed in May 2021. The mall was officially opened in September 2022, marking the completion of the second phase.
The project generated up to 2,000 jobs in its construction phase and was expected to create 1,500 permanent positions upon completion. The development procured goods and services worth a total of R290m ($21m), thereby contributing to the local economy.
Location of the Boardwalk Mall
The Boardwalk Mall is located at the Boardwalk precinct in Port Elizabeth, which is part of the municipality of Nelson Mandela Bay. It was developed as an extension to the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World’s retail area within the precinct.
The precinct is accessible via a network of roads, including Marine Drive, Strandfontein Road, 2nd Avenue, and La Roche Drive. It has four entry and exit points, with two being on Marine Drive and two on 2nd Avenue.
Boardwalk Mall development details
The Boardwalk Mall features a mix of retail outlets, including two supermarkets, a speciality food store, and two pharmacies. It also houses major banks, restaurants, fast food units, coffee shops, health and beauty, electronics, home and décor, gifting, sports, and speciality shops, as well as everyday services and essential fashion stores.
The development involved building the Sun Park Square, which has been integrated with the Boardwalk mall to host major events.
Works also included upgrading the surrounding roads, which required a R11m ($750,640) investment. The Second Avenue road was widened into four lanes and new entrances to Boardwalk Mall were built from Marine Drive and Second Avenue.
Boardwalk precinct details
The Boardwalk precinct at Port Elizabeth originally featured around 11,800m² of retail space, a five-screen Nu Metro cinema complex, a 6,000m² Boardwalk Casino, 140-key five-star Boardwalk Hotel, and an international convention centre. The Boardwalk Mall increased the amount of retail space at the precinct to 26,000m².
The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World offers premier luxury hotel accommodation while also serving as a unique entertainment, dining and conference venue. It is home to the only licensed casino in Port Elizabeth.
Dining options at the precinct include Prive Bar, Kiplings Brasserie, The Bayside Pantry, Tshawe Bar, and Sun Café.
Retail offerings at the Boardwalk Mall
The Boardwalk mall includes a mix of big and small brands, with up to 80 retail stores. Retailers occupying space at the new mall include Pick n Pay and Pick n Pay Liquor, Woolworths, Checkers and Checkers Liquorshop, Clicks, and Dis-Chem.
The shopping centre also houses Ackermans, Debonairs, The Magic Company, Fishaways, Steers, Wimpy, Pick n Pay Clothing, Spur, and the Crazy Store.
