With all eyes on shopper safety, Baywest Mall is set to lead the Eastern Cape with its breakthrough mall security technology, as well as with its unique public transport infrastructure.
Baywest Mall general manager Sonja de Necker said the mall, which opens to the public on May 21, had prioritised shopper safety, as well as ease of access for shoppers with cars and those using public transport.
Security breaches at shopping malls around the country have put a sharp focus on mall security, while in Nelson Mandela Bay commuters have bemoaned the lack of proper public transport facilities at major malls.
“Baywest Mall has a dedicated public transport drop-off and pick-up point, which we have tailored to meet commuters’ needs,” said De Necker.
“Not only is this facility at the doorstep of the mall, meaning commuters won’t have to walk far, but it is roofed and offers a much-needed canteen and ablution facilities for drivers.”
While there are eight easy access points to the double-storey mall’s safe and secure parking facilities, a special public transport access point has been incorporated at ground level, leading to the roofed drop-off and pick-up point, said De Necker.
On-ramps and off-ramps from the nearby N2 freeway meant easy access for visitors to Baywest from the city centre or out of town, while the extended Walker Drive access road in Sherwood meant residents in the western suburbs could reach the mall in next to no time, she said.
Baywest Mall also boasted high-tech security, De Necker added.
“We have prioritised shopper security,” she said, adding that 230 state-of-the-art CCTV cameras with facial and number plate recognition software were placed strategically throughout the mall and the parking area which surrounds the mall on both floors.
“The entire access to the mall is controlled with security booms. We have also trained up our security team and will have guards patrolling the mall and the parking area constantly. They will be on foot, on bicycles, quad bikes and in patrol vehicles,” said De Necker. All the stores would also be fitted with panic buttons, she said.
To further ensure shopper safety, De Necker said hoodies and caps would not be permitted inside the new mall.
“Research shows that security breaches at malls occur mostly at the hands of suspects who hide their faces with caps or hoodies,” said De Necker. “We will be asking our patrons to remove their hoodies, and if they are wearing caps, to either take them off or wear them back-to-front, so their faces are easily visible to our security cameras.”
Another safety element employed is that of controlled parking, and deploying specially trained security personnel rather than car guards. There was an incremental parking rate for this, said De Necker, to ensure those accessing the parking were there to visit the mall.
“By implementing an incremental parking rate, we eliminate the need for car guards as our security personnel will be patrolling the car park,” said de Necker.
Parking rates for access to Baywest Mall are as follows:
- 1 hour: free
- 3 hours: R5
- 5 hours: R10
- Thereafter R5 for every 2 hours
The size of the mall – the largest in the Eastern Cape at 90,000m² – meant shops would be open for longer, to suit shoppers’ needs, said De Necker. The Fun Factory entertainment node and restaurants would open from 9am to 10pm, seven days a week, while the general retailers would open from 9am to 7pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 9pm on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, she said.
Leading to the mall, the R300 million Baywest road network will open prior to the mall’s grand opening. The network not only links shoppers conveniently to Baywest Mall via the N2 freeway and Walker Drive in Sherwood, but also links Sherwood to the N2, alleviating traffic congestion in the western suburbs.
“Visitors are going to find that Baywest Mall will be a game changer when it comes to entertainment and retail in the Eastern Cape,” said De Necker.
Alan Straton
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