SC
Saloshnie C
Active since Nov 2018
10
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0
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Reviews
10 reviews19 months ago
Biasness & Inaccessibility of Retail trading space in Shopping Malls for small local businesses in favour of foreign owned businesses
I am at my wits end here. I am a South African Indian woman with small business owner based in KZN.It is a registered and tax compliant small business that includes as clothing manufacturer & retailer where we make clothing with a few women from my community that have joined us in this journey and we then sell direct to the general public since 2017. This issue I am having been trying to up scale our model. Which means increasing our retail outlets. This has been a largely self financed business. But I am experiencing biasness and inaccessibility for small businesses to rent or lease trading space in shopping malls and centres in our country. With the onslaught of shopping malls that are being built everywhere but do not incorporate any space or allowance small locally owned businesses. If they do, its priced so high that its almost impossible to get in. Recently, a shopping Mall in Durban quoted me like R21 000 for a 37sqms store per month excluding utilities and vat, and then I need to pay up front first month rental and advance deposit to move in which is about R50 000! We are small businesses. Proudly making and selling our products, but has bigger shopping malls zone into our towns, rural areas, townships and cities they are summarily displacing local small businesses, has bigger mainstream retailers move into the malls and shopping centres that are relatively safer and more entertaining to shop in for consumers. The smaller businesses outside on the street are slowly dying off. The empty shops and buildings are quickly then filling up with lots un asethic looking ****a shops, cellphones and other shops own by foreign owned stores of Nigerian, Somalian/ Ethiopian and Pakistani people that sell cheap, **** even expired items, like the one in the news that the lives of innocent little children were lost consuming products from these stores. CBD's around us, are becoming empty, delapidated and unprofitable. I know Malls are big businesses especially for investors and job creation but also takes away trade from local businesses in the area, that cannot afford the conditions impacted upon them. So I am quiet upset that Malls are so inaccessible and unaffordable to small local businesses, if you look at Cornubia Shopping Mall which is managed by the JHI Excellerate Group owned by Investec, Tongaat Huletts and eThekwini Municipality for instance there is already Chinese store, a Malawi man married to a South African lady that has a kiosk/table is selling belts, hats and walkets with his Malawian employee and about five Pakistani/Indian mobile repairing, phone covers, vaping stores and kiosks in that same shopping mall but they have no space for locally owned businesses , and if they do give you a quote its like so incredibly outrageously high. The Gadget Candy kiosk, has a Pakistani owner that lives in Pakistan, but rents an apartment in Umhlanga somewhere for all his staff from Pakistan to come live here and stay together, I was told this by one of the Pakistani guys that work in the kiosk themselves. Their salaries are paid to their families in their country, has the owner covers all there costs here from accommodation to food. So how does this even resonate to becoming local jobs, for our people. He has these kiosks and cellphone stores in almost every prominant mall in KZN as this Gadget Candy or another name that prints photos on phone cases/covers. From Pakistan they can easily afford to pay these big leases or hurdles that shopping malls put before real small business locals that hinders them from taking Mall trading space. I used to be a pop up store tenant at the above mentioned mall. On a month to month contract since December 2022. I cancelled that contract last year due to my finances. But took another contract on a month to month basis with the mall. It was a quiet shop on a difficult quiet side of the mall. It was empty for a while. Nobody was interested in it. So when they offered me the space I took it to try it and see, since June tjis year and it has worked for us, customers found me. But now another near by Mobile store owner of Pakistani orientation had seen our shop potential and has signed with management to take over the shop lease and we have been notified to vacate the premises at the end of November this year. We carried the shop in the quiet times like every tenant in mall waiting for December peak trading season but we just have to go and look elsewhere to make way for these foreign store owners. Its so unfair, my rent is all paid and up to date, we brought life to a dead place. But all the Mall Management see's is profit before people. I am truly powerless to do anything in this situation I know, the manager told me in a mail, with my current turnover I cannot make the rental and deposit advance she wants for the place, neither is she able to accommodate us anywhere in the mall or exhibition space as she is fulled up for December! Where can small businesses owners like myself go for help in this country. We are just working honestly and hard. Should we all just quit and wait on that government R350 grant! For the hard working small business owners of this country, I hope policy can be changed or implemented at government level for it to be mandatory for Shopping Malls to take on a certain percentage of small local businesses at standard reasonable and fair rate? We as small businesses are feeling the pressure, with raising crime, increased foreigned owned ****as and **** goods shops raising up, delapidated neglected old trade buildings in our cities and in our cbd's. Had the increased wave of building of Shopping Malls is taking over country fervently, let our small businesses especially of retail and product kinds, be accommodated within this sphere. As they are becoming eroded, displaced and closing up. So powerless what can we do. As profit before people takes over.
0 replies
28 months ago
Property Mall Leasing Management bias to National Retailers at the expense of small independent retailers!
Shopping Mall Property Leasing Agency bias to National Retailers over small business/ Independent Retailers. This is so infair and sick they way they make us beg for space to trade. How are we supposed to survive the market. Malls have taken over the markets, its unsafe to trade in streets in these times. Why are they so hard on us. I get excuses we I try to lease space like 'Mall oversurated with fashion products or your credit rating not looking so good. But I am a registered small business and a Private Company...why does my own credit profilr matter which is not really bad at all! So biased disgusting to the growth of small businesses and entrepreneurship in this country. Property Mall Leasing Management Companies are just the arm of big businesses to stifle an keep out small businesses from growing in South Africa. We make our own products we have selling for years direct to consumers, but trying to lease a Mall shop is like hitting a brick wall?? Is there any Mall with a good mix of of national and small independent retailers in South Africa...No we just open Malls fill it up with Shoprite, Woolworths, Pick N Pay, Edgars, H& M, Cotton On, Zara, Starbucks or and never mind Ocean Mall created for the super rich with Prada, Gucci and Chanel etc! Or that Pakistan Cellphone Gadgets store or a China store in almost every Mall in KZN! Where are the Malls built for growing our economy, engaging and allowing local trade, innovation and products to flourish nothing at all!
0 replies
28 months ago
Sick of Mall Property Leasing Management bias to only National Retailers
Shopping Mall Property Leasing Agency bias to National Retailers over small business/ Independent Retailers. This is so infair and sick they way they make us beg for space to trade. How are we supposed to survive the market. Malls have taken over the markets, its unsafe to trade in streets in these times. Why are they so hard on us. I get excuses we I try to lease space like 'Mall oversurated with fashion products or your credit rating not looking so good. But I am a registered small business and a Private Company...why does my own credit profilr matter which is not really bad at all! So biased disgusting to the growth of small businesses and entrepreneurship in this country. Property Mall Leasing Management Companies are just the arm of big businesses to stifle an keep out small businesses from growing in South Africa. We make our own products we have selling for years direct to consumers, but trying to lease a Mall shop is like hitting a brick wall?? Is there any Mall with a good mix of of national and small independent retailers in South Africa...No we just open Malls fill it up with Shoprite, Woolworths, Pick N Pay, Edgars, H& M, Cotton On, Zara, Starbucks or and never mind Ocean Mall created for the super rich with Prada, Gucci and Chanel etc! Or that Pakistan Cellphone Gadgets store or a China store in almost every Mall in KZN! Where are the Malls built for growing our economy, engaging and allowing local trade, innovation and products to flourish nothing at all!
0 replies
33 months ago
Facebook account hacked and Facebook does nothing to the reporting of the matter
My FACEBOOK account was hacked since August 2023. I sent Facebook numerous emails to close my account. The hacker has taken over my contact details by way if email and contact number that I cannot change it. I tried reporting it on Facebook, account compromised and all that. Even some of my FB friends have reported my account is hacked. But Facebook has done nothing. I have more than 5000 friends on Facebook they are busy being poached and ****med by these hackers from Nigeria according to the new contact details, they are using my Facebook page and profile to **** people about selling cryto or Bitcoin etc. Facebook just won't act! I cannot even delete the page. Its insane. I really like to sue Facebook if people on my page get ****med and lose money because they are doing Nothing and could not care less
0 replies
38 months ago
Virgin Active making it difficult to cancel membership???
I have been trying to cancel my Virgin Active gym membership since joining in February 2023. Since March I sent email letter to cancel. No feedback. But they have been debiting me. I now called the call centre spoke to Wasika who says to cancel, I must pay penalty fee of more than R1000. This is in addition to the ongoing debits they have already debited for including for month. I have not gone to gym even once! Is this even fair???
0 replies
43 months ago
IKHOKHA REALLY SMALL BUSINESSES & INFORMAL TRADERS
Awesome service to small business and informal traders. Cash Advanced features is an wonderful feature as we approach busy festive season, an you do not feel it so badly in your pocket as would paying a loan on a month to month basis.
1 reply
51 months ago
Ikhokha providing real Service Value to small businesses
Awesome service recieved to resolve my card swipe machine issues that I posted about on Hello Peter a few weeks ago. Thank you, Nehkeshni at Ikhokha in Umhlanga Ridge, for going the extra mile and visiting my work place to addressing my issues. Thank you. I am well pleased with Ikhokha and service recieved. I would gladly recommend them.
1 reply
52 months ago
Not a Happy Client of Ikhokha☹️
I hate to put a damper on things. But I am upset with Ikhokha. The solution offered to fix my broken Solo Shaker Pro, after 3 years of use is I buy a new one. As the warranty to give me a new one has also expired. Ikhokha customer service very disappointing , should we as small business owners not be made aware, that after 3 years, the warranty on the machine will expire and card machine will be not working efficiently. It doesnt come on dispite charging it overnight and then just comes on times. I contacted customer service numerous times in vain. Its embrassing to say customers you are taking card payments but then your machine just wont come on...reason its too old. How is this in the interest of small business and if my machine is not working ...how you even going to benefit from my sales...not happening because my Ikhokha card machine is not working....very sad customer service!!!😢😞☹️
2 replies
92 months ago
Loan Traders SA-vDisgusting, Cheap, Fraudulent Loan service
Horrible fraudsters out to deceipt and ripped off hard working poor seeking loans to help their situation. Debiting personal accounts even when no service is ever provided
0 replies
92 months ago
Lia
I am having the most awful expierence with Loan Traders. Yes, I was looking for a loan awhile back which I eventually did get by myself from my bank. This company has been debited my bank account. I asked them to stop and refund the debit. They then send me an account settlement letter of any amount I need to pay to cancel an account I never even in knew I signed up for with them. Frauds, poor people seeking loans to help getting ripped of by this so called Loan company. I going to proceed with legal charges this really cannot be constitutional at all!
0 replies
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