Airport retailers to take on gifting currency

ACSA and the Merchants' Association will actively market the gifting currency, known as The One gift voucher, says Gerald Hartzenberg, chairperson of the national body of airport retailers.

"This agreement reflects growing recognition of airports as shopping venues, and not merely as transit venues. Our airport retail outlets are ideal places to pick up gifts for a friend, spouse or children, particularly for business travellers."

The One vouchers are available in denominations from R25 to R200 from six centres in the Old Mutual Properties' portfolio - Cavendish Square, Cape Town; Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, Pretoria; The Zone @ Rosebank, Johannesburg; Gateway Theatre of Shopping, Umhlanga; Riverside Mall in Nelspruit; and Vincent Park Shopping Centre in East London.

"The addition of retailers in domestic and international areas of three major airports means the vouchers will be redeemable in more than 1 400 stores and entertainment attractions around South Africa," says Michelle Clarke, head of the specialty retail and leasing division at Old Mutual Properties.

Clarke says airport retailers are a significant additional redemption channel because of growing corporate bulk buying of the gift vouchers for use in sales incentive programmes and as a means of thanking personnel for extra efforts.

Apart from redemption at the airports, the gift vouchers can be exchanged for goods at stores in all six major centres in the Old Mutual Properties' portfolio as well as at Mutual Village in Rivonia, Sandton, and Kempton Square in Kempton Park.