This article has been supplied and will be available for a limited time only on this website. Most people look at rising vacancies and see a weak property market. Samuel Theu, National Property Manager at Atlas Finance, sees negotiating power.
After spending years on the landlord side of the table at Growthpoint and City Property, Theu made the move almost a year ago to representing a national tenant. The shift has given him a rare advantage: understanding exactly how landlords assess vacancies, what concessions they are willing to make and importantly, what makes an occupier genuinely valuable.
"The spaces many businesses are avoiding today are often where the biggest opportunities lie," says Theu. "If you understand how landlords think and what they need from a quality tenant, you approach negotiations very differently."
At a time when many financial institutions are reducing their physical footprints in favour of digital channels, Atlas Finance is expanding its branch network. It will open its 300th branch this month and has plans for around 50 more by the end of 2026. That expansion has given Theu a front-row view of where value is emerging in South Africa's retail property market.
