Shopping centres and malls play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life of the communities in which they are situated.

 

“I suggest that it is for this reason that the recent Retail Real Estate World Summit, staged in Cape Town in early October, drew many hundreds of delegates and exhibitors from all over the world,” says Alan Demby, executive chairman of the South African Gold Coin Exchange (SAGCE).

 

SAGCE took a stand at the exhibition, along with 80 other businesses, ranging from architectural firms to real estate organisations, shopping mall developers, food chains and banks.

 

“From our standpoint, we found it to be a great platform for sharing information and insight and to inspire all South Africans to strive for world-class service,” Demby says.

 

SAGCE leveraged its position at the summit to introduce itself, its product offerings and its countrywide retail outlets to domestic and international delegates.

 

Demby was taken somewhat aback by the surprise expressed by visitors to the SAGCE kiosk over how affordable it was to invest in gold through the medium of gold coins.

 

“In particular, visitors showed keen interest in the one-ounce Nobel coins that commemorate the Nobel peace prizes won by South Africans. The Nelson Mandela coin was, not surprisingly, in particular demand.”

 

Chris Kollman, SAGCE’s COO, presented a Nobel prestige set to former president FW De Klerk, who signed certificates for these sets, thereby sparking a surge in demand for the sets.

 

“The benefit of being present at the convention was the opportunity to introduce ourselves to a market that is unfamiliar with the investment attractions of gold and gold coins.

 

“Indeed,” says Demby, “in the intervening weeks we have been on the receiving end of a host of foreign orders for a broad spectrum of the coins we sell.”