I was involved in the establishment of the South City Mall in (I think) 1991. At that time I was Administration Manager for Mrs Pope Ltd. The Directors wanted to support the new mall and they leased three shops there for Mrs Pope’s, Pants, and Facade, all now long disappeared. Mrs Pope’s shop was in the area currently occupied by Paper Plus, and there have since been many changes to the mall which now prefers to be called a Shopping Centre.
We’ve been regular customers of the South City New World supermarket for many years. We also shop at the South City Pharmacy, Paper Plus, and The Warehouse. Today we paid our last weekly visit to the supermarket which will close on Sunday. Shopping malls, especially those with restrictions over access and opening hours, no longer suit larger retailers, and there are other changes at South City. Michael Hill has just moved out and gone to The Palms. The Notty Horse Wooden Toys shop is closing down as most of their business is now conducted online. I will be curious to see how South City fares once the supermarket has gone. I just tried to phone them to check what year the mall opened, and the phone number given on the South City website is invalid.
We look forward to visiting the new New World in Durham Street which will open on Wednesday.
What is its fate, South City Mall?
Can such a place survive at all?
Ruth's Reflections 