Shopping Malls: A Success Story Or Is It?

Shopping malls are becoming things of the past – so say the pundits and that too with an abundance of confidence. In fact, according to Business Insider, the mall scenario in the USA is not a good one at all. Approximately, 15 per cent of the shopping malls present in the USA are predicted to either fail completely or get transformed into non-retail space!

Although, yet to make its appearance in India, the concept of self-checkout is telling a completely different story when it comes to the popularity of shopping malls. Put simply, as the name implies, self-checkout means that a person will scan the purchased goods and pay without a cashier being present.

The grass root reality from the Indian perspective is that the future of shopping malls is absolutely safe in the years to come.

The standpoint of the consumer is one of the primary reasons for the ‘future’ being a safe one! His perception has shifted from purchasing products to purchasing experiences.

As Roberto Fantoni puts it in his write-up, The Future of Shopping Malls:

“When today’s consumers’ visit malls, they are looking for experiences that go well beyond traditional shopping.”

This brings us to the question: What factors are at work behind a mall becoming a success story?

The answer rests in the words of Al Taubman – A builder, real-estate developer, and a marketing impresario – Taubman says that having a good architecture is the first stepping stone to success for any shopping mall. However, what matters the most is a complete ease-of-access for the shopper to the merchandise. Dubbed, the threshold resistance, this philosophy of Al Taubman convincingly answers the question in an interview held at the Taubman Asset Group, Bloomfield Hills, Milwaukee. A transcript of the same has been given here.

In addition of Taubman’s viewpoint, there have been a large number of perceptions and interpretations that have each chalked out an answer each for the question put forth here. According to Live Mint, there are seven considerations that have to be kept in mind while developing a success story. They have been given below.

• A good location
• A comprehensive understanding of the customers present in a neighbourhood
• A consumer- and retailer-friendly design
• A centralised system of mall control
• An optimum tenant mix of the three, primary attributes of any shopping mall: retailers, services and entertainment
• A proper maintenance to ensure a healthy footfall
• A parking space capable of parking a large number of cars

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/1JsX9cw 

To sum up, the future of a shopping mall is a splendid one, simply because the awareness and corresponding implementation of Taubman’s threshold resistance and many other philosophies.

The Five Hypothetical Characteristics Of A Shopping Mall

What can be the best characteristics of a shopping mall? To be absolutely honest, an exhaustive list of such characteristics is not possible to create because people expect a wide variety of facilities from a shopping mall. So, here are five, hypothetical characteristics that are extremely logical for any potential shopper.

1. It should be located next to a busy road!
A shopping mall which is placed adjacent to a busy road like a highway within a city is bound to get more people visiting it.

2. That road should have residential plots on either side!
After all, if there are no residential plots, where will the people come from? Cars driving on the highway have no reason to stop by a mall every day.

3. The plots should have people with the zeal for shopping!
Irrespective of a large number of people living in these residential plots, the shopping mall will still remain empty if the number of avid shoppers is infinitesimal.

4. The zeal will be useless if there are no famous brands!
A shopping mall which does not have stores of world-famous brands belonging to genres like apparel, footwear etc. will not provide the opportunity of buying the best products that are present in the market today.

5. The brands will fail if they don’t have a flagship member!
Every shopping mall needs to have a flagship brand, preferably one that operates a supermarket. The product range at these supermarkets is a diverse one with the prices remaining comfortable enough for the wallet. Therefore, it is logical to state that the number of people visiting this store will be a high one at any given moment. Simply because, the supermarket will be their ideal destination for acquiring monthly rations!

How Can A Mall And A Stadium Live Together

Having a mall next to a stadium these days is a reality.

But of course, the latest example will be the Acropolis Mall and the Gitanjali Stadium placed right next to each other in Kolkata.

The mall has not opened yet. But the stadium has! When Acropolis Mall opens, it can organize musical concerts in the stadium and fashion shows as well!

Not really, the coming months will see a mall and a stadium coexisting happily together!

There is no need to get angry for this is not a pseudo-fact at all. When Acropolis mall opens, people who are disbelieving the most will be the first entries into the mall – take my word for it!

The concept of a mall and a stadium together is not a new one. For example, in Serbia, the Stadium Shopping Centre at Voždovac is a shopping mall which has a football ground on its roof.

There can be lots of ways in which people can have a wonderful time through the mall and the stadium.

What does this mean??? Take a look below!

1. Watching a match first and then hopping on to a movie hall! You can do it!

2. Viewing one sizzling model walk the ramp! A fashion show in the stadium! It’s possible!

3. Listening to an awesome guitar solo at a live, music concert!

We all love to enjoy the pleasures of life. And they will be soon bought within a walk or a ride away by Acropolis Mall!  

“Acropolis shall open the floodgates of unlimited enjoyment soon!”

How Can A Mall Be A Heaven For Food-Lovers?

Everybody loves having pizzas and that is no secret at all! As an example, the graph shows the percentage of the total number of restaurants in five different US states that are pizza outlets.

The Indian scenario in terms of consuming pizza and other delicacies is no less different than USA with more than 570 malls (as of 2013) running scores of eateries, food courts, and restaurants.

Their thriving business still raises a question: What makes them so popular?

Here is the answer in terms of the ways in which the upcoming Acropolis Mall will fulfill the culinary affairs of these fanatics by being an absolute heaven for them:

1. Owing to a total of six restaurants with different cuisines, the last thing that people at Acropolis Mall would be worrying about is having the same food again and again.

2. Normally, food courts feature self-service; however, there will be a waiter-served food court at the mezzanine level of the Acropolis Mall.

3. The main food court of the Acropolis Mall will be a huge one and people will not have to wait for seats while standing and holding their food trays. This is because this food court will have a total number of 450 seats.

4. For grilled-food lovers, Acropolis Mall will be bringing forth the global-grill concept through the opening of Flame & Grill there. Therefore, barbequed delicacies stemming from all over the world will be available.

5. The flavors of the orient will be brought through Mainland China which will be setting up its Mainland China Asia Kitchen (MCAK) at Acropolis Mall.

6. For people who prefer to eat in restaurants, there will be four more restaurants in addition to Flame & Grill and Mainland China in the Acropolis Mall.

Therefore, the Acropolis Mall, when it opens, will be a true heaven for each and every food lover.

Something Is Different Right Beneath Your Feet

Opening this blog in the mundane, typical manner just doesn’t feel right! So, let a couple of dialogues do the honors of putting the point across! The point, for all those who are thinking about it right now, is given in the title itself! Here are the dialogues!

Our coffee machine seems to have grown up!

Isn’t that true! Obviously when you have a mall resting right beneath your feet, then its coffee shops are just a few stairs away!

There are so many things to do after office!

That’s quite right! Grabbing some drinks after office is a thing of the past because it is simply one of the basic features. The eye-grabbing features that are available now all not countable in number – It all depends on the imagination of a person as far as unwinding after office is concerned.

The movie hall is literally close!

A hectic day at work and the unwinding medium turns out to be a movie! Then there are two things one should do:

1. Log on to the website and book a ticket
2. Take an elevator down to the movie hall

Say good bye to the rigors of seasons

If it’s the summer season, get a cool shirt. If it’s the winter season, get a woolen coat. If it’s the rainy season, get a pair of floaters together with a rain coat! All the answers to making comfort a reality during seasonal discomforts are present at the mall!

A Shopping Spree is a Reality

You are surfing across the Internet for some shopping portals and the next thing you know is that you are staring at a product that you have wanted to purchase for such a long time. Placing an online order would fetch you the product within a week but getting up from your chair, taking the elevator down to the next floor and walking to the store (You know the name from the shopping portal) will get you that product within a time period of 30 minutes!

These are the major dialogues that are telling a story of a dream office to come forth. However, if you are thinking as to where is this office coming forth, then the answer is: Acropolis!

10 Reasons Why You ABSOLUTELY Must Visit ACROPOLIS

Do I need a reason, really?Well, I have specific reasons for my untold love for the shopping mall! Should I just state them out? No! Rather, let me mould them into 10 golden reasons for going to the soon-to-be-opened Acropolis Mall!

10. Eateries...Mainland China, Chilli’s, Flame & Grill...I just can’t wait! (To the management of the Acropolis Mall: Can you speed up with the construction please?) I’m like, hungry already!

9. Food courts...The ‘s’ after ‘court’ is not intentional at all. 450 guests can sit at the main food court! A waiter-served one at the mezzanine level will also be created!

8. Movies...Cinepolis (4th largest multiplex chain)...4 screens...925 seats...Real3D...when do I get to book the movie ticket?

7. Location...Who says I’ll be roaming all around Kolkata to find it? Acropolis, I hear, will be at Kasba-Rashbehari Connector!

                                        Literally: Oh my god! It’s so easy to find!!

6. Shopping...Aha! Have I stuck the accurate chord here? Just in time as well…

5. Events and Festivals...By what I hear, there will be loads of them!

4. Size...It will be big and huge...but I won’t get lost in it!

3. What? A stadium? Right next to the mall? My dear Kolkatans say hello to concerts and fashion shows! Every now and then! Yipeee...

2. And there will be Shoppers Stop! Jack n Jones, Vera Moda, Mark n Spencer, Mia (Tanishq)...shopping heaven!

1. Well...I’ll just go because the mall is such a beauty to look at! International Standard architecture huh!

“When there will be Acropolis, here’s me banging at the door…Let me enter please!!!”

Acropolis Mall – Even The Greeks Would Have Loved It!

The city of joy will soon witness a remarkable creation made of bricks and steel at KasbaRasbehari Connector.

Urban Kolkata now has an awe-inspiring skyline that grows at a pace equivalent to the developing real estate landscapes of Kolkata. The Acropolis Mall is another feather in the cap – one that has blended commercial and entertainment space in a splendid manner.

This mall with a ‘to-die-for’ façade, ensuring ample space with luxury will cover an area of 275,000 sq. ft. It’s a joint initiative of Merlin Group and the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority with an investment of 400 crores approximately.

The mall offers a parking space that can accommodate over 700 cars.

Apart from the parking space, the overall infrastructure comprises of a luscious business centre, banquet hall, business lounges, and conference rooms – all together known as ‘The Senate.’

The first five floors are a tribute to entertainment due for patrons to have a gala time. A multiplex with four screens, a food court, retail outlets are some of the features.

Coming now to specifics, the retail outlets have been booked by well-known retail brands. The flagship brand being Shoppers Stop, which is set to open a total of 90 outlets around October of this year.

Brands like Parcos, Vero Moda, Jack & Jones and many more have already confirmed their decisions of opening stores at the mall. The multiplex will be managed by none other than Cinepolis – the premium showbiz giant.

Approximately 450 customers can be accommodated at the food court - at a time, to relish delectable food and beverages’ on offer. To highlight a few, one can expect Chilli’s - a restaurant known best for its burgers, Mainland China - renowned for its delicious Chinese cuisine, and Flame & Grill - famous for its scrumptious grilled delicacies, and many other such eateries will rule this abode of food soon.

With so much to offer and so much to look forward to, Acropolis Mall promises to make your life more chic, comfortable and lifestyle-friendly. To the many good times to come! CHEERS…

Don’t forget to share your reviews and feedback @AcropolisMall or you can simply drop-by to say hello!