End of shopping malls as you know them in South Africa

New research shows South Africans are visiting shopping malls less often and spending less time in these centres as online shopping and changing consumer habits drive a shift towards smaller, convenience-focused options.

This was revealed by Lightstone, which tracked South African shopping behaviour in February 2023 and again in February 2026.

It uses anonymised vehicle movement data from Tracker covering between 450,000 and 510,000 passenger vehicles per month.

Unlike retailer surveys or operator reports, the telemetry data captured what drivers actually did, not what they said they did.

Lightstone found that not only are South Africans visiting shopping malls less often than they did, but they are also staying for shorter periods and making more deliberate trips.

The telemetry data shows the median dwell time fell by around 4%, from 45 minutes to 43 minutes. The real shift was at the top end, where the longest stays dropped by more than 11%.

Super-regional centres above 60,000 m² have been the hardest hit, with dwell time down 17% and average visits per tracked vehicle down nearly 9%.

Community malls in the 10,000 to 20,000 m² range proved the most resilient, losing the fewest visits (2.3%) and the smallest drop in dwell time (8.1%). This suggests essential services closer to home are increasingly popular.

Lightstone Retail managing director Mohit Narotam explained that the changes signalled how discretionary time and money were being spent.

“South African shoppers have not lost their appetite for the mall experience but have become more deliberate about it,” he said.

“Winning centres give shoppers multiple reasons to make a trip, whether that is value, a genuine community space, or an experience they cannot get from a screen.”

The telemetry data, when combined with other retail datasets, confirms that the country’s retail patterns are shifting.

The Clur Shopping Centre Index tracks the performance of more than 130 malls through annualised trading densities, base rental growth, and rent-to-sales ratios.

It identified smaller centres as the dominant growth segment in 2024 and 2025. This reinforces Lightstone’s analysis of telemetry data, which pointed to the significance of convenience and community-focused retail.

Why South Africans’ shopping habits are shifting

The shift in how consumers engage with shopping malls is driven by both online shopping and lifestyle changes.

Grocery and lifestyle stores such as Checkers, Woolworths, and Pick n’ Pay have all seen their online sales grow significantly.

However, malls anchored by Checkers bucked the trend, with visits per vehicle growing 5.3% from February 2023 to the same period in 2026.

Fashion stores have lost ground to online Chinese operators such as Temu and Shein, which accounted for a combined 3.6% share of South Africa’s total clothing, textiles, footwear, and leather retail market in 2024.

This exceeded the combined share of H&M, Zara, and Cotton On of 3.4%, according to a Localisation Support Fund/BMA report from June 2025.

The cinema tells a story too. For decades, a movie outing was at the centre of the long Saturday mall visit, which included browsing, watching a movie, and eating. However, that rhythm has broken down.

Cinema chain Ster-Kinekor shrank from 55 locations to 34 over the past decade, and streaming revenue reached R5.2 billion in 2023, against cinema revenue of just R1.46 billion.

Lightstone said the two forms of entertainment demonstrate how lifestyle changes have affected cinemas and malls. Streaming has fundamentally changed how South Africans consume entertainment at home.

Improved broadband affordability and penetration have also made staying in a genuinely attractive option, unlike five years ago.

What malls will look like going forward

Research from global commercial real estate services and investment company CBRE suggests that experiential retail strategies and enhanced consumer environments would drive retail sales.

By transitioning from “lifestyle destinations” spaces to “lifestyle destinations”, well-managed malls could increase dwell times, foster brand loyalty, and directly boost tenant revenues.

According to industry data provided by Ray White Property, experiential strategies typically yield an average 40% increase in dwell time and a 30% increase in sales, driving footfall and omnichannel performance.

The malls getting it right give shoppers a reason to visit that a phone screen or online sales cannot replicate, Lightstone explained.

They are enhancing the in-person experience and diversifying their offerings by incorporating experiential retail, interactive stores, entertainment options, and unique dining experiences to attract visitors.

Malls are hosting events, pop-up shops, and community activities to foster engagement and attract foot traffic.

Additionally, many have invested in technology, including mobile Apps for seamless navigation and personalised promotions.

Some have partnered with e-commerce brands to provide click-and-collect services, bridging the gap between online and offline shopping. These strategies aim to revitalise foot traffic and boost retail sales.