A shopping trip is no longer simply about getting in, buying what you need and leaving. Increasingly, shopping centres want to be places where people spend time — meeting friends, taking children out, attending events, eating or relaxing.
That shift has brought an unlikely source of inspiration into the conversation: luxury hospitality.
New Africa Developments (NAD), which has interests in shopping centres and resorts, says the sectors share an important lesson: people remember how a place makes them feel.
NAD says its experience across both sectors has encouraged it to think less about buildings as physical assets and more about the people who use them.
“Whether someone is visiting a shopping centre for groceries or travelling across the world for a luxury safari, they are looking for an experience that feels welcoming and effortless,” says Japie van Niekerk, the CEO of NAD.
“The settings and expectations may be very different but both require attention to detail, thoughtful design and a real understanding of how people behave and what they value.”
For NAD, applying hospitality principles to retail means being intentional about everyday experiences. Clean surroundings, landscaping, signage and security all matter, as do staff interactions, easy navigation and comfortable places to pause.
Together, these details determine whether a shopping centre feels merely functional or genuinely inviting. Footfall, trading performance and tenant mix remain important but property owners must also ask how customers experience the place as community spaces, events, children’s activities and other activations can give people more reasons to visit. In that way, the centre becomes more than a collection of stores; it becomes part of people’s social lives.
At Cheetah Plains, personalised service and conservation storytelling form part of a carefully considered safari journey. Although the setting differs, the principle is the same: the experience is deliberately shaped around the person using the space.
“Hospitality is not limited to hotels or lodges. It is an attitude,” says Van Niekerk.
The exchange works in reverse, too. Retail teaches hospitality to stay adaptable. Shopping centres respond constantly to changing customer behaviour, seasonal patterns and evolving tenant mixes.
Hospitality must also adjust as expectations of service and experience change.
“Both businesses teach us that excellence is never static,” says Van Niekerk. “You have to keep listening, observing and refining what you do.”
For NAD, listening means more than studying data as there is no single blueprint for creating a place people love.
An international traveller at Cheetah Plains has different priorities from a Saturday shopper. Yet both expect convenience, safety, quality, authenticity and a sense of being welcomed and understood.
“The future of property lies as much in what we build as it does in how people experience what we build,” says Van Niekerk.
For developers, the next question might no longer be “What can we build?” but “What kind of experience will people have when we do it?”
- Shopping centres are evolving to be places for socializing and leisure, inspired by luxury hospitality principles.
- New Africa Developments (NAD) emphasizes creating welcoming experiences by focusing on people rather than just buildings.
- Key factors in retail hospitality include clean surroundings, thoughtful design, easy navigation, and personalized staff interactions.
- NAD integrates hospitality principles into retail to enhance customer experience, community engagement, and event participation.
- Both hospitality and retail sectors require continuous adaptation to changing customer behaviors and expectations.
