Business
New Shopping Mall Opens in Hartenbos as the Garden Route Booms
Where lifestyle buyers go, retail soon follows
Anyone who has spent time on the Garden Route over the past few years has felt the shift. Quiet coastal towns are no longer just holiday pit stops or retirement hideaways. They are becoming permanent homes for professionals, families, and business owners who have decided that big city living no longer fits their lives.
Hartenbos sits right in the middle of that change. In just two months, it will welcome Garden Walk Shopping Centre, a new upmarket mall designed specifically for a growing community that values convenience, quality, and everyday comfort.
Opening on 26 March 2026, the 20,000 square metre centre is positioning itself as more than just another retail space. It aims to be a central meeting point for locals who now live, work, and raise families along this stretch of the Garden Route.
A mall built for how people live now
Garden Walk is being developed by the Moolman Group in partnership with Organic Coral Investments and Dorpstraat. The location has been carefully chosen. It sits in the northern part of Hartenbos with clear visibility from the N2 and easy access via the R102 and Monte Christo Road.
This places it close to some of the area’s most established and fastest-growing neighbourhoods, including Outeniquabosch, Monte Christo, Hartland, and Hartenbos Landgoed. It also anchors itself firmly within the broader Mossel Bay municipality, an area that has seen strong residential and investment growth.
The tenant mix reflects exactly who is moving in. Shoppers can expect large anchor supermarkets like Checkers and Food Lover’s Market, alongside fashion and home retailers such as Woolworths Edit, @Home, Mr Price Home, Pick n Pay Clothing, PEP Home, and Ackermans.
Everyday essentials are well covered too, with Clicks, Dis-Chem, Sorbet, Crazy Plastics, PNA, and banking facilities all confirmed. A dedicated children’s play area reinforces the centre’s family-friendly focus.
Dining that mirrors the modern Garden Route
The food offering leans into familiarity and convenience, which is exactly what residents want on a busy weekday or a relaxed weekend. Tenants include Spur, Mugg and Bean, Doppio Zero, KFC, Burger King, and Seattle Coffee.
It is the kind of mix that works for school runs, work meetings, and casual family dinners, without needing to drive into larger towns or navigate seasonal tourist traffic.
Why Hartenbos is booming right now
Garden Walk is opening at a time when the Garden Route is experiencing a clear wave of semigration from wealthier South Africans. Recent property data shows towns like George, Mossel Bay, and Plettenberg Bay ranking among the country’s top destinations for high-net-worth buyers.
What used to be seen as a holiday belt is now a permanent base. Buyers are drawn by a slower pace of life, cleaner and well-managed environments, and significantly less congestion than major metros.
Crucially, the region still offers the infrastructure people need. Good schools, hospitals, established shopping nodes, and an airport that keeps the rest of the country within easy reach all play a role.
Mossel Bay, in particular, has delivered strong returns for property investors. Over the twelve months to the end of November 2025, total property transactions in the area reached R2.4 billion, comfortably exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
The broader region offers something for every buyer, from Groot Brak and Klein Brak to Dana Bay and Hartenbos itself. Average home prices sit around R2.3 million, with many properties trading between R1.5 million and R4 million. Luxury estates like Pinnacle Point continue to command premium prices well above that.
A sign of what comes next
Garden Walk Shopping Centre is not just responding to growth. It is a signal of confidence in where the Garden Route is heading.
As more affluent South Africans choose coastal towns over city skylines, retail follows the people. Malls become smaller, smarter, and more community-focused. They serve residents, not just tourists.
For Hartenbos, Garden Walk marks another step in its transformation from seasonal seaside town to full-time lifestyle hub. And for anyone watching where South Africa’s wealth is quietly relocating, this new mall says plenty.
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Source: Business Tech
Featured Image: Business Tech
