With the news recently in that Eskom will be hiking electricity tariffs by 15.63% from April, commercial and retail tenants will be bracing for increased strain on already tightly stretched budgets.

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382 Jan Smuts, which is situated in the heart of Craighall, one of the busiest and most popular areas in Johannesburg, recently underwent a rejuvenation, with the addition of a Seattle Coffee Shop on the ground floor.

As suburbs grow we often see large shopping malls being built within close proximity to smaller community retail centres.

The role of the property manager is evolving - with the lines being blurred between that of a property manager and that of an asset manager.

As the main source of income for commercial buildings, tenants are key, highlighting tenant retention as a primary focus for building owners and managers.

Spire Property Management recently secured the management contracts for several retail centres in outlying areas of Durban and Johannesburg.

A new stand-alone property broking division has been launched by the Spire Property Group.

The southern suburbs of Claremont, Rondebosch and Newlands have become one the fastest growing decentralised office nodes in Cape Town.

Growthpoint's Cape Town office portfolio vacancy rate is now less than five percent