Windhoek CBD picks up

UPMARKET development in Windhoek’s central business district (CBD) is on the rise and has boosted the revival of this inner-city area.

This comes amidst plans to transform the city into a trendy leisure destination after dark which has seen an increase in the numbers of cafés, festivals and night markets to appeal to professionals who work within the CBD to spend more time in the city after work hours, Karina van den Heever, the spokesperson for Gustav Voigts, said in a statement yesterday. “There’s also a growing trend of CBD living.”

Windhoek mayor Muesee Kazapua noted that despite numerous challenges, Windhoek has seen significant developments over the past few years, including the construction of FNB’s head office and the Hilton Hotel.

Whilst addressing a business forum in September last year, the mayor was quoted as saying: “These mixed developments in our central business district area are clear testimony that our business community is positively responding to the City’s call to revitalise the CBD area.”

Other key developments in the capital’s CBD area are the mixed-use 77 on Independence Avenue and the multimillion-dollar phased refurbishment of Gustav Voigts shopping centre, Van den Heever said yesterday.

77 on Independence, which offers a combination of retail, residential and office space, links Independence Avenue to the Old Breweries Craft Market, a precinct that already boasts some high-quality retailers, businesses and service providers, a gym and an art gallery, she said.

According to some residents, one disadvantage of living in that complex however, is that they struggle to sleep because of the noise generated by watering holes in the area that remain open until the early hours of the morning.

Meanwhile, Carel Fourie, CEO of Oryx Properties, the owner of the Gustav Voigts Centre, says: “We’ve undertaken this refurbishment partly as a result of the growing demand for upscale inner-city shopping, driven by the professionals in the surrounding offices, banks and government buildings.”

A fourth generation Voigts family member and Wecke&Voigts store manager and buyer Adriane Jandrell says that there’s been an increase in the number of professionals frequenting the department store, which opened its doors 125 years ago and is the oldest in the country. Noting that the store’s inventory caters for both tourists and locals, Jandrell says: “Because of the rich history and reputation our store holds in Windhoek, we have experienced visits from clients from around the world.”

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