New Indian shopping experience: The future of Indian shopping

Indian shopping malls are reclaiming their status and re-imagining how they engage consumers. This New Year Realty+ cites some examples of future of Indian shopping.

Mall of Travancore, Thiruvananthapuram The first green mall in the country with a slew of environment-friendly initiatives makes the project unique.The 70% of facade is covered by vertical garden. The three organic waste converters have a total capacity to treat 2.5 tonnes of food waste per day. The sewage treatment plant, which can process three lakh litres of waste per day helps in recycling water. This recycled is used in cooling towers in air-conditioners, in toilet flush tanks and for irrigation needs of the mall.

  To reduce use of plastic waste, the mall authorities are using reusable cutleries on the food courts. In order to help percolation of rainwater to the ground, the entire walkway around the mall is laid with cobblestones. The mall authorities use eco-friendly cleaning materials for housekeeping throughout the mall area. The city corporation and NGOs like Prakruti are providing all technical support for the green initiatives of the mall. As part of CSR initiative, the mall will open its gates for morning walkers who can utilize the one km walkway. The 700,000 square feet mall was completed in 2018 and the phase II of mall is expected to be operational by 2020. Esplanade One, Bhubaneswar The largest shopping mall in the state of Odisha is a first of its kind mall that opened last year. It is the 6th largest mall in India. This monstrosity is spread over 4.5 lakh square feet and houses over 100 international and national brands. The mall has a total of ten floors designed by the Practice Design Pvt Ltd. The mall is well-connected to everyone in the tri-city of Cuttack, Bhuaneswar and Puri.

Many of the leading brands are opening their doors for the first time in Bhubaneswar and all under one roof. The food court at Esplanade can seat around 750 people at once and over 600 vehicles can park within the premises at one time. Initially owned by the Forum Group in partnership with The Blackstone Group, it is now owned by Nexus Malls. The launch of this mall also propelled Nexus to become the second largest retail real estate developer in India. AIPL Joy central Gurugram Abiding with the ideologies of women empowerment, this mall supports the cause in one of the most unique ways possible. The all women dedicated market on the second floor of the mall contains women centric shopping, entertainment, fitness and beauty stores. For everything that a woman's heart desires, AIPL Joy central offers fully air-conditioned ladies bazaar which is a part of mixed-use development.   The women shoppers can enjoy a vibrant mix of fashion, accessories, jewellery, beauty, designer wear, home decor, kids’ stuff, beauty and cosmetics, spa and salons. The ladies bazaar will also include coffee shops and well-designed seating clusters to rest or chat with a friend at one of the many positioned. Other than this the mall also houses a food court spread across 25,000 sq ft and 10- screen multiplex. Also read http://realtyplusmag.com/we-are-changing-the-indian-malls/ VR Mall, Chennai The uniqueness of this mall lies in its architecture and design that has imbibed the Tamil culture in its architecture. The Centre, with its design pays homage to the soaring Gopurams of the temples of Tamil Nadu and the Technicolor of the Madras check. Offering 1 million sq ft of high quality retail opportunities, this 1.84 million sq ft LEED Gold certified centre, forms the strategic focus of a 42 acre mixed-use development. The walls at the entrance showcase the maps of Chera, Chola and Pallava dynasties and their distinct geographical spread. A rectangular water path embellished with white lilies is what follows — a welcoming sight. As one nears the building, symbolic carvings meant as cultural homage to the various dynasties, right from the Kadamaba to the Vijayanagara, add an element of intrigue. Motifs themed on Dasavatharam, the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, run throughout the centre in the form of murals and installations. The most striking of them is a bell weighing 400 kilogram installed at a height of 10 feet. Another space, which has already become popular as a selfie spot, has walls adorned with murals painted by artists from Cholamadal Artists’ Village. Amidst the three walls, hangs an interesting assortment of lights inspired by temple architecture.