Feb 02 2010

Township malls hurt small shop-owners

Category: Entrepreneurs, News, businessmark @ 10:43 am

Shopping malls have created competition for small township business, the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) of the University of South Africa (Unisa) has found.

Large shopping malls had been developed, or were under construction or in the planning phase in almost all township areas with sizeable population numbers, the BMR said in a statement on Sunday.

“This development has resulted in heightened competition for small township businesses with a potential risk of considerable consumer expenditure displacement away from them to national chains and franchise businesses in the new shopping complexes,” the BMR said.

‘Township malls hurt small shop-owners’