In a mark of the resurgence of Joburg's central business district, Woolworths is opening a food store in Harrison Street targeting office workers and inner city residents.

Woolworths Micro Foods is to open at 28 Harrison Street at the end of September

THE central business district continues to brighten, with one of the country's most popular food stores setting up shop in the area.

Woolworths Micro Foods is to open at 28 Harrison Street at the end of September. The food store is targeted at convenience food shopping for day-time office workers.

In addition to lunches and prepared meals, all the basics from bread and milk to fresh produce and general groceries will be on sale, according to Rendani Rathando, the senior real estate manager at Woolworths.

"There is a move to return to the CBD and a substantial number of companies are investing in offices in the area. Many of these office workers are aspirant Woolworths customers."

The Woolworths food store is located a block away from the "government precinct" and about two blocks from the Gauteng Legislature building. As one of the youngest A grade buildings in the Joburg CBD, having been completed in the mid-1990s, 28 Harrison Street is an attractive structure, with marble finishes.

Other tenants in the building, which is owned by Amdec Property Developments, include the call centre company, The Dialogue Group; the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration; the South African Social Security Agency; Capitec Bank; and Tshikululu Social Investments.

"This is a wonderfully vibrant node within the city with top-notch companies that attract aspirant staff. The new Woolworths Micro Foods at 28 Harrison Street will allow these consumers convenient shopping during the day, instead of having to race home in the hopes of getting to suburban shops before closing time," Rathando says.

Its opening comes amid the recovery of the CBD from a decline that began in the late 1990s, with businesses moving to outer suburbs and office parks. However, in the last few years the City and other stakeholders have made concerted efforts to revamp the inner city.

Millions of rands have been poured into upgrading neglected infrastructure by the City and the private sector, in the hope that this will boost investment in the area.

A considerable amount of work is also being done to woo residents back to the inner city, such as building housing estates like Brickfields. Several buildings have also been converted into upmarket flats by private sector investors and developers.

Rathando notes that the store will assess trends as it trades, constantly refining its product lines and its hours to meet market needs.

"Trading hours are difficult to assess prior to opening. Typically we would consider trading hours for a day-time office market to be until 6pm on weekdays and lunchtimes on Saturday. The CBD is, however, certainly experiencing a resurgence of residential developments, so we will assess the ebb and flow of demand dynamics on an ongoing basis."

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