East London’s Hemingways Mall, the largest mall in the Border area, is buzzing since its sale to Hangar 18 Investments in early 2024.
Hemingways was once one of the jewels of Sisa Ngebulana’s Billion Group, but when it hit trouble ownership moved to Rebosis, which in turn put it into business rescue.
The mall started trading 15 years ago. Five of the Rebosis malls were sold in December 2023, all to Hanger.
The other four are Baywest, Forest Hill, Sunnypark and Bloed Street.
The Hangar 18 joint CEOs are Marc Edwards, Travis Green and Warren Lawler, who is responsible for Hemingway.
The company is focused on the retail sector. It has a robust network of industry relationships and a hands-on approach.
It is committed to maximising value and fostering community engagement in the properties the group manages.
“There was a lot of unease when news of the proposed sale flew around our Hemingway offices.
"We were all concerned about our jobs and our long term futures,” said Nobulele Ncube, Hemingway’s general manager.
“However the staff, 60 in all, was kept on.
"It turned out that we were panicking for nothing. I might be a few million out but I think the parcel of five malls went for around R6bn.”
“When Hangar 18 took over the management in February 2024, the mall picked up the crest of a wave with demand shooting up.
"Hemingways was suddenly doing well — but it took hard work.”
“The vacancy level is currently 6%, which I believe will change in the near future.
"One of the many success stories since Hangar 18 took over — and there are quite a few — was signing a rental deal with We Buy Cars.
"It was a relatively unused parking area on the top floor. What for Hemingway was a waste of space was a perfect area for a pre-owned car lot, and this was a real win-win.
"No two malls are the same and Hemingways and We Buy Cars were the perfect fit — just waiting to happen.”
“Our anchor tenants include Woolworths, Dischem, Edgars, Foschini and Mr Price.
"Mugg & Bean’s opening is another win for the mall. So will be the new Clicks, Senqu and La Prada.
"Dischem will get bigger. All are set to open soon.”
She said though they lost Pick n Pay recently, it has provided the opportunity to remodel the area, cutting up the "box" — the store area — to include several new shops.
"We will open up access to the stores, which were a bit closed in on the ground floor.
"The original access design never really worked. ”
Ncube is a big fan of the concept of “managing by wandering around” — the management style punted in the 1980s by American authors Tom Peters and Robert H Waterman Jr in their book “In Search of Excellence”.
“I don’t think you can run a mall of this stature from behind a desk. You have to get out there, talk to people and work with the shops and their managers.
"Our shoppers, so I have found, really appreciate owner-run businesses. Café Bella, on the ground floor, leading to the movies, is a classic example. It trades well.”
The mall has started refreshing its colour scheme, moving away from the lemon and green, but she will not share the new colours.
“People can come in and see for themselves,” she said with a smile.
“We will also have a few new outlets and some of the existing ones are freshening up their offerings.
“Working with the Hangar 18 management team has been a real pleasure.
"They listen to new ideas, and have an 'old school' ethic about them. They are not frightened to try new ideas, as our revitalisation of Hemingways will show.”
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