Fourth Sovereign commercial mall to launch January in Mandeville
Published:Sunday | November 5, 2023 | 12:06 AM
After delays and disruptions in supplies linked to war and the pandemic, the new commercial complex under development by the Loshusan family in Mandeville is now two to three months to the finish line. Director Bruce Loshusan said the mall should…
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After delays and disruptions in supplies linked to war and the pandemic, the new commercial complex under development by the Loshusan family in Mandeville is now two to three months to the finish line.
Director Bruce Loshusan said the mall should be ready for launch by January.
Sovereign Centre Mandeville will become the fourth commercial development in that line of projects, the others being Sovereign Centre and Sovereign North in Kingston, and Sovereign Village in Portmore.
Loshusan said the family was developing a modern complex for Mandeville, one that would be attractive to returning residents, young professionals, as well as homeowners in the area who want something new and different.”
Based at Caledonia Drive, the project first announced in 2019 by Vincent Loshusan & Sons is being executed on lands that houses an old Shoppers Fair supermarket.
“Construction is a naturally slow process if you are doing it properly. However, when COVID hit, everything slowed down even more. It was hard getting building materials on time. There was a shortage of building materials during COVID and building costs went up approximately 30 to 40 per cent,” he said.
The complex designed by Leighton Hamilton Architects encompasses 82,645 square feet of retail space.
Two big jobs remain to be done.
“We have to demolish the old Shoppers Fair Supermarket, which is in the middle of the parking lot. There will be an elevator and escalator system provided for people who may not be able to climb the stairs,” said Loshusan.
And: “We are also installing an underground water catchment system and harvesting our own water to be as sustainable as possible. Then we will pave that over for more parking,” he said.
The complex will also feature underground parking.
The businessman said that Progressive Foods supermarket will be an anchor store and that fast-food outlets Wendys and Domino’s Pizza, and the Maxie Group department store will operate shops there as well.
The complex is being managed by Property Management Limited in Kingston.
The Loshusans are indirectly connected to Shoppers Fair as members Progressive Grocers of Jamaica, a grocery consortium that owns the chain as well as other grocery brands.
The overall complex will span 172,000 square feet. Loshusan declined to comment on the development costs and on how they’ve been affected by the delays.