Mimosa Mall, in association with Absa, Bloemfontein Courant and OFM, hosted its first-ever annual Entrepreneurs Market from 30 September – 2 October 2021.
The market supported innovators, creative minds and out-of-the-box thinkers, giving them a platform to showcase their products and offerings in prime retail space. From hundreds of applications, close to 50 budding entrepreneurs were selected to participate in the three-day event. Their offerings ranged from décor to gifts and baked goods, technology, leather products, sweet treats, flowers and organic products.
To increase publicity, the entrepreneurs were also interviewed by the FS Online Channel and profiled on Mimosa Mall’s social media pages, radio station and digital media.
“Mimosa Mall shares the vision of so many hopeful individuals who have the willingness to embark on their start-up journey, and we would like to take hands with these small business owners and dreamers to steer them into the future of retail,” said André Rossouw, Mimosa Mall marketing manager.
Corni Fourie, Mahareng business manager, said Bloemfontein Courant’s involvement in the market speaks to the influence of the newspaper in the community. “This is exactly the type of initiative that we would want to support as it directly impacts the local economy and local consumers, who are ultimately the readers of our newspaper. We hope and ask that everyone would support this because a lot of people will benefit from it,” she said.
Lindiwe Mtwentula, OFM marketing manager, said that as a radio media partner, this is OFM’s way of supporting local entrepreneurship and investing in the overall strategy of upskilling South Africans and promoting independence in business.
“OFM’s objective is to assist in the commercial growth, media support, participant growth and value-added services, and as such wishes full disclosure and development of business, event and marketing plans for this event. OFM wishes to focus on safe events, healthy lifestyle and development as marketing and media strands as part of the event strategy,” she explained.
Also contributing significantly to the market was The Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA), together with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and the FS Online Channel. Bogart Man, Checkers and Legends Barbershop also had prizes and vouchers up for grabs for the entrepreneurs with the most innovative offerings and attractive stalls.
With the tagline ‘Your Mall’, Mimosa Mall aspires to support the community and make an impact on entrepreneurs, especially at a time when the economy is in a dire state. In doing so, it hopes to establish the mall as a destination offering more than just retail, but a range of diverse experiences.
The Entrepreneurs Market was the second market hosted in the past year by Mimosa Mall. The team is currently in the planning phases of the Festive Market, to be hosted in December 2021.
