Oxford Hillcrest under construction
THE Heritage Market is officially a thing of the past as construction and refurbishment as begun on what is to become the new, much anticipated Oxford Village.
The new shopping centre is set to bring back life to the dated and under-used centre. The over-haul of the Heritage Market has begun with the demolition of the old Food Lovers Market space on the lower level of the centre.
The new Oxford Village will cover approximately 16 000 square meters of the 66 000 square meter property and is expected to take a year to complete with plans to open to the public by mid-July 2014. A temporary, smaller version of the final store is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2014.
The temporary store, to be situated in the existing structure of the old Mr Price Sports, will cover just under 1 700 square meters and will include a butchery, fruit and vegetable market, a bakery and grocery hall.
The anchor tenant of the new centre is an Oxford freshmarket store, the second store for the group which already has one on the Bluff.
The final store will cover a massive 3 200 square meters and will include a world class meat production facility to support a large butchery, an extensive fruit and veg market, a bakery, a deli and a vast grocery hall.
The centre will also be home to the first ever Oxford Liquor Mart which is to be situated on the lower level in the old Food Lovers Market space and will cover approximately 900 square meters.
Tenants for the new centre have not yet been finalized and at present discussions are under way between the centre management and existing and potential new tenants. The centre is to be consolidated by demolishing smaller shops to provide space for larger anchor tenants to ensure maximum foot traffic.
Brett Latimer, owner of Oxford freshmarket said, "The purpose of the new Oxford Village is to supply Hillcrest families with a shopping destination that caters to all the needs of a home."
The Jess Foord Foundation will continue to be based at the new centre rent free. The foundation does very important work and we are proud to have them with us at Oxford Village, said Latimer.
The new look of Oxford Village is to move away from the flea-market type aesthetic to a contemporary and linear look and feel, said Gina Garrity of Sphere Design and Architecture.
The centre is to be refreshed, all signage is to be rationalized and road works will be prepared with the intention of improving vehicle and pedestrian circulation. Grey and charcoal with crisp white accents are to be used on the main building and the rest of the centre is to be cleaned and painted to tie in with the new front store, said Garrity.
The new centre, on final completion of phase 2, will include an extra 119 parking bays and is to be maximized to be closer to the larger tenants to provide maximum convenience for the shopper. Undercover parking areas are also to be increased to provide protection from bad weather.
In a nutshell the centre is to be refined to allow for a more pleasant shopping experience. Oxford Village will have a strong family focus with all green areas being retained for recreation and enjoyment, continued Garrity.
Further Oxford freshmarket stores are due to open in Chatsworth, Amanzintoti and Pinetown within the next two years, with plans on the cards to open further stores in Richards Bay, the Western Cape, Port Elizabeth and Gauteng.
For further information on Oxford freshmarket go to www.oxfordfreshmarket.co.za.
http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal...r-construction
THE Heritage Market is officially a thing of the past as construction and refurbishment as begun on what is to become the new, much anticipated Oxford Village.
The new shopping centre is set to bring back life to the dated and under-used centre. The over-haul of the Heritage Market has begun with the demolition of the old Food Lovers Market space on the lower level of the centre.
The new Oxford Village will cover approximately 16 000 square meters of the 66 000 square meter property and is expected to take a year to complete with plans to open to the public by mid-July 2014. A temporary, smaller version of the final store is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2014.
The temporary store, to be situated in the existing structure of the old Mr Price Sports, will cover just under 1 700 square meters and will include a butchery, fruit and vegetable market, a bakery and grocery hall.
The anchor tenant of the new centre is an Oxford freshmarket store, the second store for the group which already has one on the Bluff.
The final store will cover a massive 3 200 square meters and will include a world class meat production facility to support a large butchery, an extensive fruit and veg market, a bakery, a deli and a vast grocery hall.
The centre will also be home to the first ever Oxford Liquor Mart which is to be situated on the lower level in the old Food Lovers Market space and will cover approximately 900 square meters.
Tenants for the new centre have not yet been finalized and at present discussions are under way between the centre management and existing and potential new tenants. The centre is to be consolidated by demolishing smaller shops to provide space for larger anchor tenants to ensure maximum foot traffic.
Brett Latimer, owner of Oxford freshmarket said, "The purpose of the new Oxford Village is to supply Hillcrest families with a shopping destination that caters to all the needs of a home."
The Jess Foord Foundation will continue to be based at the new centre rent free. The foundation does very important work and we are proud to have them with us at Oxford Village, said Latimer.
The new look of Oxford Village is to move away from the flea-market type aesthetic to a contemporary and linear look and feel, said Gina Garrity of Sphere Design and Architecture.
The centre is to be refreshed, all signage is to be rationalized and road works will be prepared with the intention of improving vehicle and pedestrian circulation. Grey and charcoal with crisp white accents are to be used on the main building and the rest of the centre is to be cleaned and painted to tie in with the new front store, said Garrity.
The new centre, on final completion of phase 2, will include an extra 119 parking bays and is to be maximized to be closer to the larger tenants to provide maximum convenience for the shopper. Undercover parking areas are also to be increased to provide protection from bad weather.
In a nutshell the centre is to be refined to allow for a more pleasant shopping experience. Oxford Village will have a strong family focus with all green areas being retained for recreation and enjoyment, continued Garrity.
Further Oxford freshmarket stores are due to open in Chatsworth, Amanzintoti and Pinetown within the next two years, with plans on the cards to open further stores in Richards Bay, the Western Cape, Port Elizabeth and Gauteng.
For further information on Oxford freshmarket go to www.oxfordfreshmarket.co.za.
http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal...r-construction