MILESTONE AS GROWTHPOINT BOOSTS CLUR INDEX PART 2

Belinda Clur, Founder and Managing Director of Clur International.

…continued from Part 1.

Clur says that even in the current tough market conditions, the South African retail sector has much to teach the world. “We have world-class forward-thinking shopping centres, retailers, designers and asset managers. They have shown their mettle in turbulent times.”

She describes the current commercial environment as a “Kinstsugi economy”, after the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold.

“Conditions today may be thought of as a Kintsugi economy, full of cracks and imperfections, severely aggravated by economic pressures and the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a time where we need to build on the Japanese masters’ belief that broken pieces hold value, experience and rich substance. Rather than casting these aside, we should recognise their significance and mend them through creativity, care and sound decisions.

“To contribute to that process and to even more proactive management, we have recently launched additional indices for Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape and for luxury brands.”

A partnership approach with funds and drawing on her 26-year experience in international retail, property and pioneering initiatives for retail benchmarking have tailored the Clur Collective into a purpose-built highly strategic asset management support platform, she says.

“The platform has grown to serve users through providing ‘battle tools’ and targeted recommendations informing investment decisions, performance management, leasing negotiations, sales, rental and space optimization, tenant and product mix and financial, marketing and acquisitions/disposals strategies. All areas of underperformance, performance and risk are identified through interpretive reporting and sophisticated proprietary methodologies that deliver crucial information at one’s fingertips.”

Clur says topping 5 million square metres in the fund universe was a special high-water mark for her and her team.

“For me personally it is enormously fulfilling to have achieved this level of endorsement from the industry since I started and self-funded the business. The entrepreneurial journey makes you face your demons and strengths, but it is very rewarding to see something you’ve started from nothing succeed. It eats your life though, so you need to be careful about balance, a current key consumer theme.”