ABSTRACT
In Johannesburg, the mention of Chinese malls sparks a particular mental image. This chapter explores how the retail and wholesale context has shifted, and highlights the orthodox and non-orthodox responses China city is adopting to adapt and to mitigate the new risks it faces. The majority of Chinese malls are located in Fordsburg and along a section of Main Reef Road in the suburb of Crown Mines, positioned at the immediate southern outskirts of central Johannesburg and inserted in-between two low-income consumption basins. The market gap that was structured around a mismatch between demand and supply of affordable goods during a pre-globalised South Africa has shrunk swiftly. This has benefitted Chinese importers. The dominant flow of merchandise to inner city stalls and shops run by migrant entrepreneurs still comes from Chinese wholesalers operating in malls or from warehouses close to the inner city.
