Joburg braces itself for another shopping festival

15 June 2016

 

The Johannesburg Shopping Festival attracts thousands of people from all walks of life every year and this year’s edition will be no exception.

 

In fact, it promises to be even bigger and better.

In its third year, the Johannesburg Shopping Festival will take place between July 28 and August 9 in a city and province (Gauteng) widely regarded as the retail capital of Africa.

Largely inspired by the 21-year-old Dubai Shopping Festival and sponsored by the City of Johannesburg, Gauteng Tourism Authority and UnionPay International, the Johannesburg Shopping Festival is fast developing into a prime tourism attraction for visitors from across Africa, positioning the city and province as a convenient and budget-friendly shopping destination on the continent.

This retail sales bonanza will see five of Gauteng’s most popular shopping malls – Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, Oriental Plaza, East Rand Mall and Rosebank Mall – offering massive bargains and specials over the 13-day period.

All the shopping malls have confirmed their participation.

Each participating mall offers bargain hunters unique experiences, including huge discounts on merchandise such as electronics, furniture and clothing. A variety of brands will support this year’s festival. They include South African Airways, Gautrain, City Lodge Hotel Group, Uber and Sun International.

Shoppers also stand the chance to win a variery of fabulous prizes, including four Chevrolet Spark sedans, air tickets, getaway holidays to Sun City and tickets to the Joy of Jazz gig.

Bintu Petsana, Head of Johannesburg Tourism, the City’s tourism development entity, said: “Visitors will not only be amazed by the shopping extravaganza but also by the warm welcome they will receive from locals, the ease of using the Gautrain and Rea Vaya BRT system and the wealth of restaurants, shows, museums and events.”

James Delaney, CEO and founder of the Joburg Shopping Festival, said he was excited about the third edition of the extravaganza.

“It’s the biggest shopping event on the African continent. The special deals and prizes make it well worth travelling here for,” said Delaney.

The festival offers shoppers many retail experiences while enabling them to enjoy the city and province’s legendary heritage sites and tourist spots. From a financial perspective, the festival plays a key role in stimulating the economy and helping to create jobs.