Shopping Guide
The big South African retailers target their brands at very specific demographics. As a result, Cape Town has shopping facilities that cater to just about every taste and price bracket. Chain stores go from cheap and dingy (Shoprite, Pep) to so upmarket that shopping for groceries can be a therapeutic experience (Woolworths).
The main shopping areas of Cape Town are generally centered on the large malls – the V&A Waterfront, Cavendish Square in Claremont and so forth – which are listed under ‘Shopping Centers’.
Aside from that, the main roads running through most areas are typically overrun with shops, and the quality of shops and that of the merchandise they sell varies with the areas. Thus it is that you’ll find cheap PEP and Ackermans stores on Woodstock Main Road but not on Camps Bay’s Victoria Road, even as Woodstock lacks the designer stores you’d find at the Waterfront. For an idea of where the upmarket areas are, see the ‘Where To Live’ section. In the next section, I’ve listed a few areas dense with particular types of shops or outlets, which are great if you’re looking to comparison shop for specific products.
Open hours for shops in most commercial districts are 09:00 till 17:00. Supermarkets are generally open a bit later, until 19:00 or 20:00. Shops in malls stay open the latest – clothing stores in Cavendish, The Waterfront or Canal Walk often don’t close till 21:00 or later on weekends.
