An evaluation of business sustainability for Greater Edendale Mall: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Business sustainability depends on the balance of Societal, Economic and Environmental factors within a specific business environment. Greater Edendale Mall was opened in 2011. It is located at the junction of Moses Mabhida and Mount Partridge Roads (Pietermaritzburg, KZN). The Centre is the retail hub of Edendale, with abundant parking to ensure customer convenience. The Mall offers shoppers a collection of fashion and homeware options in an exclusive and convenient environment. This study intended to evaluate views of tenants, management of the Mall, and customers, in relation to the interaction of the three pillars of sustainability (Society, Economy, Environment), and to discover factors that may hinder business sustainability of the mall. This study was conducted using a mixed-method approach, and the tool used was a questionnaire, with closed and open questions. Presentation and analysis of findings were categorized as per three categories of target population, which are tenants, management and customers. This study discovered that tenants and management considered the mall to be sustainable in terms of the mall’s contribution to the society of Edendale through various economic activities and compliance with environmental prescripts, and they believed that there were challenges that the Mall needs to address to ensure that it attracts more customers. However, customers believed that there was no interaction between the three pillars of sustainability at the Greater Edendale Mall. This study made recommendations for future studies on business sustainability and to the Management of Greater Edendale Mall on the issues that needed to be addressed urgently.