{"id":36008,"date":"2024-09-30T12:16:32","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T10:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/?p=36008"},"modified":"2024-09-30T12:16:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T10:16:32","slug":"ballito-lifestyle-centre-21-years-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2024\/09\/30\/ballito-lifestyle-centre-21-years-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballito Lifestyle Centre: 21 years on"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one thing Bruce Rencken knows, it\u2019s that a little perseverance, a lot of passion and a dash of boldness can go a long way. 21 years ago, he took a leap of faith and opened the Ballito Lifestyle Centre \u2013 changing the landscape of the Ballito community in the process – and it\u2019s been a wild ride.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nBorn and bred on the North Coast, Bruce is a true local. A dedicated husband and dad to three grown kids, he loves the KZN outdoors, spending much of his free time on the beach or in the bush. A qualified chartered accountant, he began his career as a shopkeeper when he joined the family\u2019s retail business, following in his dad\u2019s footsteps. Together with his brother and business partner, Paul, they decided to expand their retail footprint, with SPAR stores in Stanger, Wartburg and another in the old Ballito village. That was just the beginning of their entrepreneurial adventure.<\/p>\n


\nA BOLD MOVE<\/strong>
\nRunning those stores for nearly a decade was no small feat, but Bruce and Paul had bigger dreams. Dreams of creating a local shopping hub to service the Ballito community. When they bought a piece of land that was nothing more than a sugar cane field, they had no idea what the future held. \u201cWe were optimistic\u2014and a little ignorant,\u201d Bruce laughs. But that mix of confidence and curiosity set them on a path to create what would become the Ballito Lifestyle Centre, and the core of the Ballito district.<\/p>\n