Bellville CBD BRE Final Report

1
Bellville Central Business District
Business Retention and Expansion Survey
Report to Stakeholders
October 2015
A Partnership of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership and the City of Cape Town

2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................................................2
1.Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................4
2.Bellville CBD in context .....................................................................................................................................4
2.1Project intervention objective ............................................................................................................................4
3. Survey findings...................................................................................................................................................5
3.1 Business Structure and History ........................................................................................................................5
3.2 Employment Patterns ........................................................................................................................................6
3.3 Business environment ......................................................................................................................................9
3.4 Future plans....................................................................................................................................................11
3.5 General...........................................................................................................................................................14
4. Prioritisation of Issues ......................................................................................................................................16
5.Action Plan ........................................................................................................................................................18
6.Annexure 1- Priotisation of Issues.....................................................................................................................23
7.Annexure 2 – Prioritisation of Actions..............................................................................................................24
List of Figures and Tables
FIGURE 1: MAIN ACTIVITIES (PRODUCT/SERVICES) OF THE BUSINESSES………………………………………………………5
FIGURE 2: BUSINESS BRANCHES…………………………………………………………………………………………….....6
FIGURE 3: LIFE SPAN OF BUSINESSES………………………………………………………………………………………….6
FIGURE 4: EXPECTED CHANGE IN EMPLOYEES COMPLEMENT OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS…………………………………..7
FIGURE 5: FUTURE SKILLS RECRUITED VS. SKILLS BUSINESSES FIND DIFFICULT TO ATTRACT………………………………..8
FIGURE 6: TRAINING OF EMPLOYEES…………………………………………………………………………………………..9
FIGURE 7: FIVE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF RUNNING A BUSINESS IN BELLVILLE CBD…………………………………………...9
FIGURE 8: DISADVANTAGES TO RUNNING BUSINESS IN BELLVILLE CBD……………………………………………………..10
FIGURE 9: ITEMS BUSINESSES FIND DIFFICULT TO SOURCE IN THE BELLVILLE CBD………………………………………....11
FIGURE 10: BUSINESSES CONSIDERATIONS…………………………………………………………………………………...11
FIGURE 11: BUSINESSES PLANS FOR THE FUTURE…………………………………………………………………………….11
FIGURE 12: SALES AND BUSINESS OUTLOOK FOR NEXT 3 YEARS…………………………………………………………….12
FIGURE 13: MAJOR CONSTRAINTS TO EXPANDING BUSINESS IN BELLVILLE CBD……………………………………………13
FIGURE 14: FACTORS IMPROVING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN THE FUTURE…………………………………………………13
FIGURE 15: EXPERIENCES OF PROBLEMS WITH GOVERNMENT…………………………………………………………...…..14
FIGURE 16: EFFECTS OF LOAD SHEDDING ON BUSINESS……………………………………………………………………...15
TABLE 1: PRIORITY ISSUES IN THE BELLVILLE CBD………………………………………………………………………….15
TABLE 2: ACTION PLANS……………………………………………………………………………………………………..17

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Local Sponsors A partnership of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership and the City of
Cape Town
Task Team Lamesa Modak Craig Kensley Ali Hassan
Liesl-Ann Kenny Sarel Strydone Monique Muller
Phumlani Ntsele
Local Co-ordinators Lauren Uppink – GTP Girshwin Fouldien – City of Cape
Town
Facilitator Tim Hadingham – City of Cape Town
Participating businesses
SAMAN Centre Hopefully Houses Nani Salon
Shibisg Cash & Carry A to Z Furniture Lovia's Hair Salon
Titoow Trading Zita Beauty Hair Salon Sistahood Hair & Beauty Salon
Sudani Trading cc Sheet Street Relabelled
Albashir Clothing Shop Qorilow Jackson
Ibrahim Take-away Blue Cafe Shop GAB Consulting
Bargain Shop SA United Bulk Distributors Café Mojo
Amana Cash & Carry Wehliye Int Textile cc Beirowski Attorneys
Radia's Take-aways Bellville Perfumes Borame Lodge
Clicks Muller’s Optometrist Cell Expert
Nedbank Freestyle Meat Crazy
Vertigo Hair Salon Delights Wimpy Bellville
Best Electric Best Fashion Hair & Nail Café
Plaza Fast Foods Bellstar Music Clepy Fashion Design
Genesis & Clinic Have-a-Bite Fast Food Brits Dreyer Inc.
MSC College Samsa Trading cc Euro Fisheries
Superior Cellular Cape Fashion L.C. Hill Optometrist
Money Matters Star Shop Bellville Cycles
Zircon Jewellery New Look Hair Salon Kingsway College
Tyger Milling Music City cc Anzak Perfumes
Hair Palace OK Furniture Calitz & Marias Mikrolening
Urban Cell and Computer Good Hope Tyres Bridge Loans
M&J Training Centre Bellville Electronics Repairing Northville Student
Centre Accommodation
Report compiled by:
Michelle Joja and Sive Fana – Department of Economic Development, City of Cape Town
Tim Hadingham – Department of Trade and Investment, City of Cape Town

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1. Introduction
In May 2015, the Greater Tygerberg Partnership in collaboration with City of Cape Town and
the Bellville central business district (CBD) business community embarked on a study to
facilitate urban regeneration in the Bellville CBD. Drawing on the idea that the wisdom,
knowledge, involvement and ideas of local business owners are critical to achieving a shared
vision for the Bellville CBD, the Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) project focuses
on developing an in-depth understanding of the dynamics, challenges and opportunities
presented by the Bellville CBD business environment.
2. Bellville CBD in context
Bellville, which was originally known as "12 Mile Post" since it is located 12 miles (20 km)
from the Cape Town CBD, was initially founded as a railway station on the line between
Cape Town; and Stellenbosch and Strand. Since its founding Bellville has seen sustained
growth to the point where it is recognised as Cape Town’s second CBD. The Bellville/
Tygerberg node is now the second biggest home major office, retail centres, business and
commercial node of the City of Cape Town. The location of key medical institutions, such as
Karl Bremer Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital, and prominent education institutions like
the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the University of the Western Cape, as
well as location of the multi-purpose Bellville Velodrome and the prominent Tyger Valley
Mall also contributes to the status of CBD to Bellville. The benefits of this growth have been
inevitably offset by challenges such as increased levels of congestion, urban slums, illegal
goods trading and a negative image of the area.
2.1 Project intervention objective
The Greater Tygerberg Partnership in partnership with the City of Cape Town launched a
business retention and expansion (BRE) study in Bellville CBD in 2015 with the objective of
identifying and understanding the issues facing business in the Bellville CBD.
To this end, the aims of the BRE study were to:
 Get a complete picture of the economic activities of the businesses in the Bellville
CBD;
 Identify ideas, concerns, priorities and obstacles to retaining and expanding
businesses in the area;

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 Develop an action plan for problems, improvements, and opportunities;
 Build a broad-based partnership for implementation and sustained development;
 Enhance relationship between business and the wider community; and
 Inform policies and programmes more broadly.
These aims were to be achieved by means of a survey of a representative sample of
companies located in the Bellville CBD. A total of 71 businesses were surveyed out of a
sample population of 700 businesses in the Bellville CBD. This translates into a 9.26%
margin of error at a 90% level of confidence which is within the acceptable range for a
survey of this type. This report presents an analysis of the findings of the survey, as well as a
set of draft action plans in response to the issues emerging from the analysis.
3. Survey findings
3.1 Business Structure and History
Reflecting the landscape of a traditional central business district, 60% of businesses surveyed
were in the wholesale and retail sector, 23% of the businesses are involved in community or
personal services, 9% of the businesses are involved in finance, insurance, property and
business services, and 8% of businesses are in the businesses of catering and accommodation.
Figure 2: Main activities (product/services) of the business
Furthermore, the survey established that 85% of the businesses surveyed are locally owned
businesses. Of those that are not locally owned, 59% of the businesses classified their
business as a provincial company branches, 29% as national company branches, and 7%
international company branches.
60%
23%
9% 8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Wholesales,rental, motor
trade sector
Community/Personal
Services
Finance,Insurance,Property Catering and
Accomodation

6
Figure 2: Business branches
Thirty-eight percent of businesses in the Bellville CBD have been operating in the Bellville
CBD for ten years and longer. Approximately 27% of the businesses have been operating in
Bellville CBD between six and ten years while 35% of businesses are operating in the area
for less than five years.
Figure 3: Life span of businesses
3.2 Employment Patterns
The 71 businesses surveyed employed a total of 558 people, 512 of which are employed full
time and 43 are employed on a part-time basis. The average number of employees is 7.2 per
business and the median is 5.
Businesses were asked to predict, considering current patterns within their businesses,
whether they expected any change in the number of people they employ in the next two
years. This revealed a generally positive outlook with 43% of businesses anticipating an
59%
29%
7%
15%
Provincial
Company
Branches
National
Company
Branches
International
Company
Branches
38%
27%
34%
1%
10 years and longer
6-10 years
1-5 years
less than a year
85%
15%
Locally
Owned
Businesses
Not Locally
Owned
Businesses

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increase in staff complement, while 35% anticipated no change and 8% expected a decrease
in employees.
Figure 4: Expected change in employees complement over the next two years
Reasons cited for the anticipated changes in the employment included:
 Business growth rates
 Seasonal trade
 Future plans for the business
 Sales prediction
 Competition
On the question of what skills businesses anticipated they would require in the future, 45%
indicated that marketing and its related skills would be needed. A further 23% of businesses
surveyed indicated that they intend on recruiting professional services such as research,
strategic, engineering, graphic design, business management and public relation skills.
Fifteen percent of businesses interviewed indicated that they intended to recruit
administrative skills such as clerical, word processing, excel capabilities and interpersonal
skills. As would be expected from a business survey in a CBD, trade skills (6%) and technical
skills (4%) were not in high demand.
Increase in
employment
43%
No change
35%
Decrease in
employment
8%
No Response
14%

8
Figure 5: Future skills recruited vs. Skills businesses find difficult to attract
The skills that business finds difficult to attract are also those that they are looking to recruit
most urgently, with marketing and related skills being the most difficult to find (46%)
followed by professional skills (20%), administrative skills (14%) and technical skills (11%).
The technical skills that businesses have difficulty finding include nail and hair technicians.
The majority (66%) of businesses surveyed primarily undertake employee development using
an on-the-job training approach, while more formal approach are only used by a small
proportion of businesses – internships (6%), learnerships (4%) and bursaries (3%). Fifteen
percent of businesses do not provide formal training due to lack of funds, with the time
consuming nature of training and the fact that their business operations not requiring skilled
labour also being advanced as reasons for not investing in training.
16
25
48
4 6
14
20
46
11 9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Adminstrative
skills
Professional
services
Marketing and
related skills
Technical
skills
Trade skills
Future skills to
employing
Skills businesses have
difficulty attracting

9
Figure 6: Training of employees
3.3 Business environment
The decision to set up and continue operations in the Bellville CBD is informed by different
factors for different businesses. Figure 8 below provides an overview of the five main
advantages in as reported by business in the Bellville CBD.
Figure 7: Five main advantages of running a business in Bellville CBD
Fifty-nine percent of businesses consider reliable public transport as a key advantage of
running a business in the Bellville CBD. Furthermore, 51% of businesses consider the
physical location ideal for running a business. Forty-nine percent of businesses cite proximity
to markets as an advantage to doing business in the area, while 49% of businesses regard
customer loyalty as an advantage and 41% consider proximity to suppliers beneficial for their
business.
66%
4% 3% 6%
15%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Internal on the job
training
Learnerships Bursaries Internships No training
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
59%
51%49%49%
41%
32%
25%23%20%17%15%15%
13%13%13%
10%
7%

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Disadvantages of operating a business s in the Bellville CBD include crime rates (76%), lack
of parking (60%), rental costs (52%), the negative image of the area (46%) and slow growth
rate in the area (25%).
Figure 8: Disadvantages to running business in Bellville CBD
Products and services that businesses find it most difficult to source in the Bellville CBD area
are captured in figure 10 below.
Figure 9: Items businesses find difficult to source in the Bellville CBD
Despite the disadvantages listed by businesses in the Bellville CBD, the majority of
businesses 71% have not considered relocating their businesses from the Bellville CBD,
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
76%
60%
52%
46%
28% 25%
17% 15% 15% 15% 14% 14% 13% 11% 11% 10%
Items that
businesses find
difficult to find in
the Belville CBD.
Food
products
Machinery
parts
Textiles
Electrical
Appliances
Furniture
Clothing Fabric
Products
(clothing,
materials,
catering, deco)

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closing or selling their business. Only 5% of businesses have considered closing their
business, while 13% have considered selling their business, and 11% considered moving their
business outside of the Bellville CBD. Reasons advanced for moving, selling or closing
include crime and grime (40%), high rental (26%), and changing the focus of business
activities (13%).
Figure 10: Businesses considerations
3.4 Future plans
Fifty-seven percent of businesses indicated that they envisioned change in their current
business activities in the next two years. These changes include expanding their business
(40%), modernizing their business (25%), adding production lines (7%), adding new service
offering (4%) and enhancing their mix of goods and services (4%).
Figure 11: Businesses plans for the future
71
11 13
5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
None of the above Selling their
business?
Moving business out
of Bellville CBD?
Closing their
business?
39%
25%
20%
7%
4% 4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Expand Modernise
facilities
No change Add production
line
Add services Change/mix
goods/services

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Businesses surveyed projected an optimistic view of the sales outlook of their businesses with
more than half (58%) anticipating that business and sales will improve in the next three years.
Only 15% predicted a decline and 14% predicted that business and sales will stay the same in
the next three years.
Figure 12: Sales and business outlook for next 3 years
The reasons for these outlooks include:
 Anticipated improvements in business and sales based on planned expansion of the
business.
 An increase in the size of the consumer market due the proximity of tertiary education
institutions and associated student accommodation, as well as the establishment of a
new Home Affairs office. Both these factors bring additional feet into the area and
expand the market for the goods and services offered by business in the Bellville
CBD.
 On the other hand some businesses argued that the market was shrinking and that
there was a marked decrease in customers in the area mostly due to increases in
prices, the negative image of the Bellville CBD and high levels of crime.
 The high costs of doing business in the Bellville area as a consequence of high
electricity costs, cost of living rises and high rental costs were cited as reasons for
predicting either a decline or no change in business and sales for the next three years.
The five main constraints to expansion were identified high levels of competition (62%), lack
of adequate space (37%), small market share (37%), lack of finance (32%) and energy costs
(30%).
58%
15% 14% 13%
Improvement in Business
and Sales
Decline in Business and
Sales
Business and Sales will
remain the same
No Response
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%

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Figure 13: Major constraints to expanding business in Bellville CBD
Businesses identified improved staff skills (41%), new products (39%), better networking
(28%), improved management skills (25%), and access to government incentives (18%) as
drivers of expansion in the next twelve months.
Figure 14: Factors improving business performance in the future
62%
37% 37%
32% 30%
25%
21%
15% 14% 13% 11% 11%
8% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6%
3% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
41%
39%
28%
25%
18%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Improved Staff
Skills
New Products Access to
Networking
Opportunities
Improved
Management Skills
Access to
Government
Incentives

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3.5 General
Business generally has a positive view of government with only 14% reporting that they have
experienced any problems when dealing with government. Interactions with Department of
Labour and the Department of Home Affairs with regards to work permits and issues with the
municipality’s provision of services relating to crime and grime, parking, problem buildings
and environmental problems were the most frequently cited areas in which business had
experienced difficulty when interacting with government.
Figure 15: Experiences of problems with government
The 14% that have encountered problems with government departments elaborated that they
have experienced problems with Department of Labour and Home Affairs with regards to
work permits for their employees, while experiencing problems with local government with
regards to.
The interruption of an electricity supply in the first half of 2015 to avoid excessive load on
Eskom’s generating capacity interrupted economic activity across the City of Cape Town.
However, in the Bellville CBD, the majority (51%) of business were not affected by the load
shedding. Twenty-eight percent of businesses were only occasionally affected, while 15%
were moderately affected and 6% indicated that their businesses have been severely affected
by load shedding.
Yes
14%
No
86%

15
Figure 16: Effects of Load shedding on business
Businesses that were affected by load shedding were in most cases forced to close their doors
during load shedding to prevent criminals from entering, resulting in a loss of custom and
revenue. Suggestion to reduce the impact of load shedding included doing it at night when
they were not trading, and the rollout of sustainable energy infrastructure that could provide
extra capacity in the system.
Seventy-eight prevent of businesses surveyed were not affiliated to any business associations
or chamber of commerce. Of those that were, 73% were members of the Somali Business
Association. Furthermore the awareness of businesses in the Bellville CBD of the existence
of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership is low with only 29% of businesses having heard about
it and only 3% being members.
51%
28%
15%
6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Not affected Affected occasionally Affective moderately Affected severely

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4. Prioritisation of Issues
The results of the Bellville CBD BRE exercise were interrogated by the task team at a
workshop on the 28th
September 2015. Based on the results of the survey and the task team
member’s knowledge of the area the following issues were identified and prioritised using a
card exercise1
.
Table 1: Priority issues in the Bellville CBD
Issue Votes
Cleaning up Bellville 12
More visible policing 8
Dealing with petty crime 7
Traffic management especially with regard to taxis 5
Dealing with negative perception of Bellville 5
Lack of parking in the CBD 4
Need to upgrade the transport interchange 2
Need for a business organisation 2
Business crime 2
Rental costs too high 1
Vagrancy 1
The workshop adjourned at this point and agreed to meet again on the 14th
October 2015
identify actions and develop a draft action plan. The purpose of the workshop on the 14th
October was to develop an action plan for the top priorities. It was agreed to address petty
crime and the issue of visible policing as a single issue.
1
See Annexure 1 for the outcomes of the issue identification and prioritisation exercise

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Workshop participants brainstormed activities that were required for issues to be addressed
and these actions prioritised using the PASTA process2
. Annexure 2 contains the outcomes
of this exercise.
2
The question was asked is the action: Popular, Achievable, Short Term, Affordable

18
5. Action Plan
The following action plan for the four priority recommendations was developed using the PASTA technique. Priority actions are highlighted in
blue. Those actions not highlighted in blue will need to be addressed but this will be done outside the BRE process by the relevant stakeholders.
Table 2: Action Plans
Priority 1: Addressing the Perceptions of Bellville
 Bellville seen to be characterised by urban decay and a degraded public realm
 The CBD is perceived (and experienced) to be unsafe
 These perceptions are held by both businesses and customers
Activity Popular
(Champion)
Achievable Short Term Affordable Notes
1. Identify clusters of economic activity and use
this to attract similar business and customers
to the Bellville CBD.

(GTP))
   This work has already been started by the GTP.
The action team would focus on understanding it
and identifying further activities.

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2. Promoting Bellville as a positive brand
a. Develop profiles of businesses that
have been trading in Bellville for 10
years and longer
b. Get positive stories about the Bellville
CBD and activities that are taking
place into the public domain
c. Commission an influential blogger to
write positive stories about Bellville
life covering street fashion, food ,
campus life etc.
(GTP)












These three actions were grouped together as
although they were different, they reflect a
similar approach to telling the good stories about
the Bellville CBD
3. Promote Bellville through events such as a
Street Carnival and Open Streets

GTP
 maybe 
4. Upgrade existing infrastructure and amenities
to improve the image of the Bellville CBD

CCT
 X maybe

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Priority 2: Making a clean sweep
 Dealing with the litter problem
 Increasing the frequency of cleaning
 Improving the overall condition of the public realm
Activity Popular Achievable Short Term Affordable Notes
1. Involve formal and informal business in cleaning
the area and taking responsibility for the CBD. One
possible way to do this is for the CCT and VRCID to
organise a “Spring Clean Bellville” drive with
business?

(VRCID/ GTP)
  
2. Review of solid waste plan and educate the public
and other stakeholders regarding waste
management and disposal.

(CCT)
   The action team should engage with
the sub-council manager’s process
around this issue that is currently
underway with the aim of providing
input on the needs of businesses in
the CBD and the approach that
would work best to tackle this issue.
3. The City must leverage its funding of existing
organisations to get them involved in dealing with
this challenge

(CCT)
 X
(maybe in
12 months)


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4. The VRCID must employ more workers to clean up
Bellville and empty bins more frequently
X
(VRCID)
  maybe but would
need more funds
Priority 3: Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime
 More visible policing is needed as a deterrent
 Petty crime such as gambling, mugging, drugs needs to be dealt with
 A forum must be established (SAPS, law enforcement, formal business, traders etc.) to identify and address the issues.
 This could be an existing for or could be the proposed action team itself.
1. Establishment of a business WhatsApp group to
provide information on incidents of crime

(GTP)
  
2. Hot spots should be identified and monitored by
law enforcement

(VRCID)
   Information on the location of crime
hotspots can also be provided to
businesses so that they can warn their
employees.
3. Recruitment criteria for VRCID security guards
need to be made stricter to prevent collaboration
with criminals in the Bellville CBD.

(VRCID)
   At the very least recruitment criteria
should be made public to reassure
business about the integrity of the
security guards.
4. Additional SAPS and Metro Police need to be
deployed in the CBD
  maybe maybe
5. Open satellite police station at strategic locations   X maybe

22
such as the public transport interchange and the
Middestad Mall
Priority 4: Dealing with rogue taxis
 Taxis stop anywhere and make a major contribution to congestion in the area
 Endanger pedestrians
 Need to take a two pronged, “carrot and stick” approach
1. Engagement with taxi associations 
(CCT)
   This is currently taking place. The focus
should be on how taxi can self-regulate
their behaviour, and how they can still
maximise their passenger numbers
without contributing to congestion and
endangering other road users.
2. More enforcement and visibility 
(CCT/SAPS)
 X maybe This issue could also be picked up as
part of the enforcement component of
Priority 3.

23 | P a g e
6. Annexure 1- Priotisation of Issues

24 | P a g e
7. Annexure 2 – Prioritisation of Actions

Bellville CBD BRE Final Report

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