Achimota Retail Centre Opens Today

The much-awaited Achimota Retail Centre, the latest modern retail shopping facility in the country, will be officially opened today at Dome, Accra.

The $60 million investment project is owned by Delico Achimota Ghana Limited, the same group that is the majority shareholder of West Hills Mall and which is majority controlled by Attafrica Limited.

It will serve residents in communities such as Achimota, Dome, Tantra Hill, Kwabenya, Ofankor, the estates of Ashongman, Parakou and Kwabenya.

The new shopping centre near the St John's Grammar School sits on a total land area of 35,790m², of which 14,622m² constitutes the trading space, with a total of over 45 shops and two anchor tenants - Shoprite and Palace.

Variety for Customers
The facility offers customers and patrons a well balanced tenant mix, with nearly 50 percent of the brands and tenants originating from Ghana.

The shops offer a wide variety of products and services ranging from grocery and foodstuffs, lifestyle, beauty and wellness, electronics and telecommunication, gadgets & designer fashion and clothing, gifts and high value jewellery, pharmacy, banking and financial services and children's recreation.

One unique feature of Achimota Retail Centre is its varied chain of eateries, numbering nine in all, including the Chop Bar and a uniquely Ghanaian gourmet outlet.

Other food houses in there are KFC, Basillisa, Food Inn, Pizza Hut, Steak Escape, Roaj Restaurant and Second Cup.

Parking Space
A spacious parking area with capacity for 585 cars, of which 250 constitute an undercover basement parking, is part of a string of modern architectural principles and special amenities incorporated in the mall's design by the owners.

This, according to the owners, is to ensure optimum convenience and enrich the overall shopping experience of customers and visitors to the centre.

Construction works on the Achimota project began in April 2014 and took 18 months to complete.

Kofi Sekyere, Chairman of the Board of Delico Achimota Limited, told newsmen in Accra that 'siting a modern shopping centre at the north-eastern part of Accra not only eases the pressure of congestion on the capital's central business district, it also provides residents of that vast area with a convenient place for business, social interaction, entertainment and other basic amenities that are clearly absent in that part of Accra.'

Roux Gerber, a member of Atterbury Property Development Limited, the developer of the project, and West Africa Head of Developments for Atterbury, described the Achimota facility as his 'personal favourite mall' in Ghana, pointing at the quality of materials, level of workmanship and the unique design concepts that were skilfully brought together in the project's execution.

Employment
It is expected that not less than 500 people, mostly from surrounding communities, will be employed by the tenants while the Centre itself will hire at least 50 employees permanently for ongoing property and facilities management.

The retail centre will offer non-stop entertainment, give-aways and lots of funfair for families, children and shoppers over the next four days.

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By Cephas Larbi