This week, Alderman James Vos, the City’s mayoral committee member for economic growth, paid a visit to a burgeoning development site reserved for Truworths International Limited’s upcoming clothing and textile distribution centre, which is set to become the largest of its kind in the Western Cape.
The site is located at King Air Industria, an industrial park adjacent to Cape Town International Airport.
The City stated that this project symbolises Cape Town’s ongoing development surge and its commitment to becoming Africa’s premier business hub.
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Alderman Vos commented, ‘This is indicative of the fact that Cape Town continues to experience a development boom thanks to the City’s mission to make the metro the easiest place in Africa to do business. In fact, according to a recent FNB report on commercial property owners’ motivations for development in a particular region, one of the most commonly cited reasons to relocate was the provision of reliable services.’
Scheduled for completion in November 2023, the new distribution centre is a collaborative effort between King Air Industria and Truworths. King Air Industria, the development company behind this industrial park, is a partnership between Atterbury Property and Old Mutual Property, representing a substantial investment in the region.
The facility itself will encompass 50 000 square metres of warehouse space and an additional 3 000 square metres for offices, totalling 53 000 square metres, equivalent to five and a half rugby fields. The construction of this facility has utilised 750 tonnes of steel, an amount the City noted roughly equals to the weight of 125 African elephants.
Gerrit van den Berg, the head of Western Cape Developments at Atterbury Property, expressed his delight at seeing this project come to life. He emphasised the pivotal role played by the City and its officials in making this endeavour possible.
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Van den Berg said, ‘The development of this iconic warehouse, which forms part of the bigger King Air Industria of 280 000 metres, would simply not be possible without the support of the City and its officials. We are very grateful for the support that we are receiving from the City of Cape Town, as well as the hard work that is done behind the scenes by Alderman Vos and his team to grow the economy of Cape Town, particularly the airport and its surroundings. Our investment in King Air Industria and Truworths shows our commitment to contribute to the economy of this beautiful, well-run city.’
Alderman Vos made reference to Cape Town’s historical connection to the clothing and textile industry, asserting that the city is the ideal location for such an expansive distribution centre.
He noted that in 2023, retailers are expected to source 368 million garments from the South African industry, which will in turn support over 60 000 formal manufacturing jobs.
Alderman Vos also highlighted the City’s partnership with the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster and its role in fostering growth across the value chain, from retail to small and medium-sized enterprises.
One of the cluster’s initiatives, the Business Accelerator Programme, has reportedly facilitated numerous small clothing and textile businesses in Cape Town to secure lucrative contracts worth millions of rands over the past year.
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Picture: City of Cape Town