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Mad about malls
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Will the taste of commerce be the dominant flavour of our mega-mall mania, asks ADITI DE
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One has the pick of the brands in the new malls. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar
BANGALORE HAS cued in to a new brand-width in entertainment since February 2004. It has little to do with swapping notes on the latest Singapore or Malaysia shopping junket. Or even preening about DVDs screened on a full-fledged home entertainment system. Or pub hopping till you drop. What's the new mantra, then? It's mega-mall mania.
The first signals surfaced when The Forum mall, with its metallic red and glass-front, opened its plush air doors on Hosur Road in February. Its 6,50,000 sq. ft., four-storey building, including 30,000 sq. ft. of covered parking, currently offers 80 plush stores. That's "where the best brands meet," claims The Prestige group, which promotes it. But the best is yet to come, with a 2001-seat movie multiplex across 11 screens slated for a July launch.
Gazing through the glass frontage at eco-friendly Lush toiletry, world-class Arrow shirts, lifestyle goods and best-selling books at Landmark, trend-setting Bose acoustic equipment, or gobbling gummy Vicious Vipers or Sherbet Lemons at the English-style Sweet World with great glass jars of imported sweets, it's difficult to decide whether you're in Munich, Milan, Manchester or even Manhattan even as the constant hammering from the unfinished bits strikes a local chord.
Close on its heels came Bangalore Central, where the genteel Victoria Hotel once stood. This 1,20,000 sq. ft., five-storied "first seamless Indian showcase mall," launched mid-May by the Mumbai-based Pantaloon chain, is loosely modelled on the famed British Selfridges chain. Its organised displays offer assured opportunity to multiple brands like Honey, Annabelle or Scullers, whether in clothing for the family, food sourcing or even an evening out. It offers a chance to "Shop, Eat, Celebrate" in an international format. And promo ops galore at its Central Square, where IBM was showcasing its laptop range as the in-house Radio Central introduced travel, bill payment, cinema ticketing and foreign exchange services available. Bangalore Central mall business head V. Muralidharan targets a turnover of Rs. 650 crore for the financial year 2004, with Hyderabad and Pune slated as follow-up venues.
Suddenly, to the well-heeled, brand-conscious, jet-setting Bangalorean, earlier shopping hangouts seem passé. No longer does the youth brigade (see box) flock to Shopper's Stop or Globus, Lifestyle or Fifth Avenue. They've switched loyalty to the mega-malls, as has the IT and BPO segment. Even middle-class Bangaloreans are opting for this newfound treat in preference to a Commercial Street outing.
Why? Saurav, a software engineer, stresses: "On the job, we travel a lot. It feels good to have those sophisticated malls recreated here. While in the U.S., we'd go to a mall on weekends for groceries; here, it's more a relaxation choice." His wife Chinna, also in software, adds: "We've described the malls abroad to our parents, though we can't afford to fly them to all those destinations. Now, we can at least take them to Bangalore Central or The Forum."
Asha Raj, who teaches at the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Hebbal, browses at Bangalore Central with her daughters Preksha (10) and Samiksha (8), who eyes a Barbie doll. "I'd probably buy at a local store because the prices are too high here," explains Asha, "but it's nice to find so many brands under one roof."
From the vendors' viewpoint, how does it all add up? At the Mustard plus-size women's clothing store at The Forum, Shilpa explains: "This mall is the first of its kind in south India. We have clients from all over the world coming in, across social strata. It's great exposure." A spokeman for Khadder, the trendy khadi outlet there, stresses, "We wanted to be part of this happening place. After all, we're the only ethnic wear store here." Drifting past Ethos with its global brand watches and the Transit Lounge with 11 cuisines on offer, we stop at Model Art, which offers scale-models of Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz cars from Rs. 110 to Rs. 5,000. "This is the perfect outlet for top-class clientele," explains sales personnel Kiran. "Our imported models from Thailand, China, Italy and Spain didn't fit into toy shops."
Will the taste of commerce be the dominant flavour of our mega-mall mania? Will city-centre mega-malls, unlike the suburban locations in the U.S., compound the confusion of our cluttered cityscape? Will our buying power measure up, once the Sigma Mall on Cunningham Road comes into the picture? The answer lies in the multiple digits of our plastic paying power.
Mall brats
The food courts are an added attraction.
WHY ARE mega-malls drawing the youth brigade by the hundreds? What's in store for them? Here are a few clues to the mindset:
Vikram Gaitonde, 20, a commerce student, outside The Forum with 10 buddies: "It's like going abroad without the cost of an air-ticket, yaar. A little like a taste of America, but right here. I feel proud Bangalore's arrived on the global shopping map."
Raghavendra, 20, a science buff who's part of Vikram's circle: "The Forum is far-out. I'd like to buy that Bose system and Tommy Hilfiger togs once I earn my own dough. Malls are not about buying stuff right now. They're about chilling out."
Navitha Kothari, at the Vogue fashion institute: "We hang out at Bangalore Central every single day. It's cool to meet our friends here, instead of boring Brigade Road. I only wish there was a greater range of affordable food at the malls. You know what it's like with our student budgets and all that?"
Urshika Kapoor, also at Vogue: "It's great to watch fashion trends as we browse through the racks and watch customers. The Forum may have more designer labels, but Bangalore Central is a very happening place."
Yasoda Ramesh, 23, visiting textile design student from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad: "During my internship at a mill here, I'd chill out at The Forum on my way back home. The blue-black designer loos are brilliant — worth spending days in there. Then, I'd browse through books at Landmark until I felt great again."
Navneet Singh, 23, a computer science graduate, between bites at the Transit Lounge: "This is an incredible place to eat, pretty five-star without the fuss. I can pig out on Thai green curry, Chinese spring rolls and even Chettinad chicken without feeling the pinch. That's what I want in life."
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