Africa-Press – South-Africa. A R150 million expansion of Piquetberg Mall, a shopping centre in Piketberg in the Western Cape, will double its size and transform it into a key regional retail hub.
This expansion is the largest-ever retail investment in the small Swartland town of Piketberg, and has entered its third and final phase.
When completed later in 2026, the mall will double in size to 13,000 m2 of gross lettable area, strengthening its role as a regional retail destination and a long‐term economic catalyst for the Swartland.
This project is being spearheaded by the Jankielsohn family, who live in the town and own the Boland SUPERSPAR and the Piquetberg Mall.
The expansion will culminate with an excess of 40 stores, more than 400 free parking bays – including 86 underground, two lifts, two staircases and an escalator.
The redevelopment also includes four sets of ablutions for easy access, a food court designed for a wide range of tastes, and a mix of national and local tenants, including the pet-friendly PET STOREY and Vida e Caffè outlets.
This project also includes improved pedestrian access from Long Street, strengthening the link between the mall and the surrounding CBD and making it easier for residents to move through the town’s commercial hub.
Nedbank bought into their vision by providing the financing, and from there it was all systems go, said Dean Jankielsohn.
“We assembled a specialist mall development team who understood our commitment to strengthening the CBD. Then we spent two years on research, refining the design and planning the tenant mix,” he explained.
A key element of the design brief was to create a “village within a village”. Jankielsohn said they wanted the mall to reflect Piketberg’s character and mountain setting while avoiding a traditional concrete mall feel.
“That meant using natural light and warm materials combined with comfortable outdoor spaces and a curated tenant mix that serves both local and aspirational shoppers,” he said.
Piketberg and the Jankielsohn family
The Jankielsohn family. In the back are Lauren and Tanya, and in the front, from left to right, are Philip, Dean and Robert Jankielsohn
Home to just over 12 ,000 residents and located less than two hours from Cape Town, Piketberg is a thriving commercial and agricultural hub for the Swartland district.
The town forms part of the Bergrivier Municipality, which has consistently achieved clean audits and is recognised for stable governance – a key factor in the Jankielsohn family’s decision to reinvest at scale.
“From vineyards, fruit farms and wheat fields to historical buildings, mountain biking and other outdoor activities, Piketberg has something for everyone,” Jankielsohn noted.
Explaining his family’s decision to invest so heavily in Piketberg’s CBD, he said after seeing the dilapidated state of many of South Africa’s big city centres, they refused to let that happen there.
“Deurbanisation happens when people move away from the city for various reasons. Retail drift. New and competing developments in outlying suburbs. Crime. Investment slows. And small towns are even more vulnerable to fading away,” he said.
“We didn’t want that for Piketberg. We didn’t want it to shrink, so we took the opposite approach and invested in its sustainability instead.”
After he and his wife, Tanya, opened the first SPAR in 1987, they began buying property with the philosophy that “you only get one chance to buy your neighbour”. Today, they own 3.3 hectares of land in the centre of town.
“We’re committed to keeping development inside the CBD to support local businesses, promote foot traffic and encourage economic activity. If the CBD goes, the town goes – this expansion is a continuation of that belief,” he said.
Jankielsohn explained that the Piquetberg Mall expansion marks the next chapter in the Jankielsohn family’s journey.
“From our first modest supermarket to becoming one of the region’s most established retail anchors, our transformation has been guided by our belief that retail is, above all, a people business,” he said.
“We’ve grown from 13 employees to more than 200, including our twin sons Philip and Robert, and we understand the environment in which we trade.”
“For nearly 40 years, our philosophy has been that we are from the community and in service to the community – and that remains unchanged.”
Behind the construction
Because Piketberg sits on a mountain slope, the redevelopment required significant engineering work, including excavations up to 8.5 metres deep.
KLS Consulting Engineers, By Design, and GASS Architecture Studios played major roles in creating a mall that promotes easy pedestrian and vehicle flow, is illuminated by natural light, and aligns with Piketberg’s charming village atmosphere.
To ensure that the new section merged seamlessly with the existing buildings, structural engineering firm By Design was tasked with creating high retaining walls and suspended concrete and steel structures.
By Design owner and principal structural engineer Barend Oosthuizen explained that the steel feature roof posed an interesting challenge.
“To tie together the new and existing buildings on both lower and upper levels, an upper‐level link had to be constructed while the lower level remained safe and open to the public,” Oosthuizen said.
“We achieved this by using a steel superstructure in combination with Voidcon, a permanent shutter system, to produce a lightweight structure with a concrete finish that didn’t require formwork.”
Another engineering milestone was the installation of injection grout piles, which not only enlarged the existing foundations but also allowed them to avoid breaking into the existing infrastructure.
According to Oosthuizen, the expanded Piquetberg Mall will become the “go‐to place” for locals and travellers alike.
“It has an exceptional mix of tenants, a food court designed for a wide range of tastes, and the magnificent Piketberg mountains as its backdrop,” he said.
KLS Electrical’s Tiaan Bester said the new lighting design was simulated in 3D to align with the project’s look and feel, and that they used LED and HVAC systems for energy efficiency.
“The new centre will have full emergency backup, so it will always be able to trade, and it will use the available roof space to install the maximum amount of solar, thus reducing the load strain on the municipal network,” Bester said.
KLS Consulting Engineers’ Renier Basson added that locating and addressing the existing civil services required a highly innovative approach.
“Diverting the existing underground civil services, to avoid clashing with the new works, was a challenge as the mall had to be operational at all times during the operation,” Basson said.
To achieve this, they had to erect a 8m-high temporary retaining wall to stabilise and retain the deep excavations.
“As a result of careful planning and implementation, the wall allowed the works to proceed in accordance with the approved project timeline and in a safe manner,” he said.
The expansion, scheduled for completion later in 2026, will elevate Piquetberg Mall’s profile as a regional retail destination.
The R150 million Piquetberg Mall development
Renders of the completed expansion
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