Sandton City
Sandton City is a privately owned super-regional shopping centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, hosting 367+ retail stores, 31+ restaurants, offices, and a convention centre, and serving premium and luxury consumers, families, and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersSandoná, Colombia
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sandton City does
Sandton City is a privately held super-regional shopping centre located at 83 Rivonia Road, Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa, owned by Liberty Group, Liberty Two Degrees (L2D), and Pareto Limited, with property management by JHI Retail and brand management by Excellerate Brand Management. Originally developed in 1973 at 50,000m², it was expanded to 146,803m² of retail, leisure, and dining space under a R1.77 billion 2011 expansion, with combined retail, office, and leisure footprint of 199,140m² and a precinct total of 237,935m². The centre curates 367+ retail stores and 31+ restaurants and is connected by skywalk to Nelson Mandela Square (60+ exclusive boutiques) and the 22,000m² Sandton Convention Centre, with direct Gautrain rail access.
The core product is the physical shopping precinct, supplemented by digital integration services including touchless parking with QR-code payments via MasterPass, FNB, Capitec, Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank, and VodaPay; the Admyt ticketless parking app; the Avo multi-retailer click-and-collect platform; the APPTO on-demand neighbourhood shopping app; gift cards redeemable at 400+ on-site and 1,000+ Liberty-owned centres nationwide; Recycling Vending Machines linked to Imagined Earth and EasyEquities; and a Drop & Shop locker service. Supporting amenities include the Baby Care Lounge, My Sandton City Stop e-hailing facility, and information kiosks.
Revenue is generated through recurring retail tenant leasing across 370+ brands, subscription-based office leasing at Atrium on 5th and Sandton City Office Tower, transaction-based parking (R10–R150 tiered daily rates, R15 weekend flat, R100 lost ticket) and gift cards, and one-time licensing of exhibition and event space to brands. Customer segments span premium and luxury consumers, families, Gautrain commuters, business travellers, and corporate events clients, with selective dependence on luxury brands (Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel) and flagship concepts to anchor Diamond Walk positioning.
Sandton City firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sandton City
- Legal name
- Sandton City
- Website
- https://sandtoncity.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Sandton City is a privately owned super-regional shopping centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, hosting 367+ retail stores, 31+ restaurants, offices, and a convention centre, and serving premium and luxury consumers, families, and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Sandton City is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sandoná
- HQ country
- Colombia
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Sandton City business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Retail Tenant Leasing: Revenue generated from leasing retail space to over 370 international and local brands. Tenants include luxury fashion, accessories, electronics, and general retail
- Parking Fees: Ticketless parking revenue with tiered hourly rates from R10 (0-2 hours) up to R150 (12-24 hours), plus R15 flat rate for weekends and public holidays
- Gift Cards: Sandton City branded gift cards sold at information kiosks, redeemable at 400+ stores in Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square, plus 1000+ stores countrywide at Liberty-owned centres
- Exhibition and Event Space: Revenue from renting exhibition space to brands for creating awareness and building brand loyalty through interactive activations within the shopping centres
- Office Space Leasing: Leasing of office space in Atrium on 5th and Sandton City Office Tower to businesses seeking prime position in Sandton's financial district
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Short-term parking (0-4 hours) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Extended parking (4-12 hours) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Full-day parking and lost ticket |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Weekend and public holidays |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Sandton City product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sandton City is a super-regional shopping centre in Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa, offering retail shopping across 367+ stores, dining at 31+ restaurants, podium office space, exhibition venues, and parking facilities. The centre aggregates international and local brands and integrates digital platforms such as Avo and APPTO for online and on-demand shopping.
Product overview
Sandton City is Africa's most iconic shopping centre offering a comprehensive retail, leisure, and business ecosystem. The core product is the shopping centre itself with 367+ retailers across 199,140m² of retail, office, and leisure space. Supporting products include Gift Cards (redeemable at 400+ stores), Drop & Shop Locker Service (free secure storage), and Click & Collect Services via Avo and APPTO apps. The centre features Recycling Vending Machines with rewards redeemable for EasyEquities shares, Touchless Parking with Admyt integration, and family facilities including Baby Care Lounge. The adjacent Nelson Mandela Square offers 60+ exclusive boutiques, while the Sandton Convention Centre provides 22,000m² of events space. Office offerings include Atrium on 5th (4-star Green Star rated) and Sandton Office Spaces for leasing. Sustainability initiatives include the 6-Star Green Star Rating and Fashion Reimagined Exhibition. The centre is managed by JHI Retail and owned by Liberty Group, Liberty Two Degrees, and Pareto Limited.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sandton Convention Centre: A 12-storey convention centre offering more than 22,000m² of events space, linked to Sandton City by skywalk bridge.
Products and services
- Retail shopping centre Over 367 retail stores offering international and local brands across fashion, beauty, electronics, jewellery, and specialty retail, for consumers visiting the Sandton City centre.
- Restaurant and dining precinct More than 31 restaurants and food outlets serving casual and upmarket dining to centre visitors.
- Podium office leasing Premium office space within the Sandton City podium available for corporate tenants seeking a prestigious Sandton address.
- Exhibition venues and events hire Dedicated exhibition spaces within Sandton City, managed by an Exhibitions Office, available for hire by event organisers and exhibition hosts.
- Parking services On-site parking facilities with touchless payment options, available to shoppers, office tenants, and visitors, with tiered pricing including reduced weekend rates.
- Sandton City gift cards Sandton City branded gift cards redeemable at participating retail and dining tenants within the centre.
- Avo online shopping platform Digital online shopping platform provided by Sandton City for browsing and purchasing products from centre tenants.
- APPTO on-demand shopping service On-demand shopping app service allowing customers to order products from Sandton City tenants for collection or delivery.
Quantifiable outcome
- First super-regional mall on African continent to achieve 6-Green Star Existing Building Performance certification
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sandton City
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sandton City technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature4 records
Sandton City partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Excellerate Brand ManagementcoreAppointed to manage the property's brand, marketing, communications, and events. Part of the Excellerate group of companies.
- JHI RetailcoreCommercial property management services company managing Sandton City operations
- GautrainmajorRapid rail transport system connecting Sandton to Pretoria and OR Tambo International Airport. The Sandton Gautrain station is a 5-minute walk from Sandton City, providing stress-free access for shoppers.
- AdmytmajorTicketless parking solution allowing automatic boom opening on entry and electronic invoicing post-visit. Download app, register car and payment details for seamless parking experience.
- WWF (World Wildlife Fund)minorPartnership for environmental awareness campaigns including Spekboom planting initiative (Plant Your Love) to promote climate-positive behaviours
- Rays of HopemajorNon-Profit Company managing social outreach projects in Alexandra Township. #CreateTomorrow programme employs community members as Hand Sanitising Ambassadors and supports food distribution initiatives
- Peroni Nastro AzzurrominorCo-sponsor of Fashion Reimagined Exhibition at Sandton City, brand committed to running business in harmony with nature
- DisneyminorFestive season campaign partnership through Disney Charity Tree plush toy sales, proceeds donated to Smile Foundation
- SA Fashion WeekminorCollaboration on MiMask project featuring designer face masks created by South African designers, supporting local artisans and next generation of design talent
- AvomajorE-commerce platform aggregating multiple retailer purchases for single fulfilment with home delivery or collection from Avo Lounge within Sandton City
- APPTOmajorOn-demand neighbourhood shopping app headquartered in Sandton City Office Tower, providing e-commerce and delivery fulfillment solution for local merchants including retail stores, restaurants, pharmacies
- OnePeople FundminorCharitable organisation formed by Capstone Property Group and Exemplar REITail in partnership with Click Foundation, distributing 370,000+ meals weekly to vulnerable communities. Sandton City donated R650,000 through parking fee donations
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sandton City competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Melrose Arch: Johannesburg mixed-use precinct combining retail, offices, and hotels in a premium positioning. Comparable high-end, integrated-format peer to Sandton City within the same metro.
- Rosebank Mall: Johannesburg mall in the Rosebank node with significant retail and office components. Comparable Gauteng premium mall competing for similar shopper demographics.
- Menlyn Park Shopping Centre: One of the largest shopping centres in Pretoria/Tshwane, recently expanded. Comparable Gauteng-area super-regional mall competing for the same regional premium shopper base.
- Mall of Africa: Largest single-phase mall development in Africa, located in Midrand, Gauteng. Directly competes with Sandton City for premium Gauteng shoppers with a contemporary tenant mix and modern infrastructure.
- Hyde Park Corner: Johannesburg luxury-focused shopping centre with a curated tenant mix. Comparable premium retail positioning and overlap in luxury fashion tenants with Sandton City.
- V&A Waterfront: Cape Town mixed-use waterfront precinct combining premium retail, dining, hotels, and residential. Most directly comparable South African super-regional retail destination to Sandton City in terms of scale, luxury tenant mix, and tourism/footfall profile.
- Gateway Theatre of Shopping: Major Durban super-regional mall mixing retail, entertainment, and leisure. Comparable scale and mixed-use positioning to Sandton City in a different South African metro.
- Canal Walk Shopping Centre: Major super-regional mall in Century City, Cape Town, with a similarly broad retail and entertainment mix. Comparable in tier and tenant profile to Sandton City within the South African retail landscape.
Broad incumbents
- Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW): Global owner/operator of flagship super-regional and 'destination' shopping centres (Westfield brand). Provides international benchmarks for premium mall operations, luxury tenant curation, and integrated precinct strategy.
- Liberty Two Degrees (L2D): JSE-listed precinct-focused retail-centred REIT and co-owner of Sandton City. Owns and operates a portfolio of South African retail and mixed-use precincts, providing a direct listed comparable for the asset's valuation and operational metrics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sandton City social profiles
Digital presenceSandton City compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Sandton City financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sandton City leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Sandton City funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sandton City M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sandton City
What does Sandton City do?
Sandton City is a super-regional shopping centre in Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa, offering retail shopping across 367+ stores, dining at 31+ restaurants, podium office space, exhibition venues, and parking facilities. The centre aggregates international and local brands and integrates digital platforms such as Avo and APPTO for online and on-demand shopping.
Is Sandton City a public or private company?
Sandton City is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Sandton City founded?
Sandton City was founded in 1973. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Sandton City based?
Sandton City is headquartered in Sandoná, Colombia, in the Latin America region.
How does Sandton City make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Tenant Leasing is the primary driver. The others are parking Fees, gift Cards, exhibition and Event Space and office Space Leasing.
Who are Sandton City's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Melrose Arch, Rosebank Mall, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, Mall of Africa, Hyde Park Corner, V&A Waterfront, Gateway Theatre of Shopping and Canal Walk Shopping Centre. Broad incumbents are Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) and Liberty Two Degrees (L2D).
Does Sandton City have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sandton City.