S K G RaoBangalore central:treading a different beat.
We don't need no walls/partitions. We don't need no space control. Bangalore Central, India's first seamless mall, opened its doors for people to have a taste of more than 300 brands under one roof. Not just brand hopping, shoppers can jive at a discotheque, dine, take a coffee break, or just stroll over to an art show or even book tickets to a movie or a concert... Padma Pegu reports.
Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd has pulled off yet another unique concept in the country’s organised retailing book. Christened 'Central', it is being described as “India’s first seamless mall” – sans partitions or walls that separate one brand ‘outlet’ or ‘counter’ from another. Or, as Anupam Bansal, director, Liberty Group, says, “It’s like running a shop of your own without the four walls.” So, if novelty is a criteria, then all roads in Bangalore would currently seem to lead to its brimming and bustling hub, MG Road, where the six-storied structure is situated.
Just having opened its doors, Bangalore Central houses over 300 brands across categories that include apparel, footwear, accessories, music and books. This is apart from a coffee shop, a food court, a supermarket (Pantaloon’s Food Bazaar), a fine dining restaurant, a pub and a discotheque. The mall has a section demarcated for services such as travel, finance, investment, insurance, concert/cinema ticket booking and bill payment. There is also a 'Central Square' area for product launches, impromptu events, displays, shows and art exhibitions. Among other innovations is India’s first live 'Radio Central' – an in-house radio station. The total area occupied by Bangalore Central is 120,000 square feet.
For all purposes, Central offers a seamless experience to both consumers and tenants. Ashwinder Singh of USI says: “The concept is extremely consumer-friendly.” Within a contracted time-frame, the consumer gets to take in a plethora of brands and make a choice. Expressly upbeat about India’s newest mall incarnation, Singh informs that already in the first week, USI has achieved a sales average of 150 pieces per day.
Bansal feels that as a business model the Central mall is “a very interesting concept for retailers and brands looking for an upmarket showroom.” However, since it is an evolving model, only time will tell how enduring it turns out to be. Much will depend on mall management, he points out, adding that any initial roadblock the mall might come up against would be with respect to managing sales people, who might not be talented or qualified enough to perform the expected tasks optimally. This would be due primarily to the fact that they do not directly belong to the brand per se and may not be able to adequately push a designated brand.
This brings to the fore the question of the functional parameters of Bangalore Central. For one, the entire store management lies with the mall owner. The resident brands have the freedom to negotiate space as per their needs and also to design their respective stand and display. Each brand is allowed to station one representative at the mall. Brands are also provided the facility to organise in-store brand promotions/launches/schemes. More importantly, it is a profit-sharing relationship between owner and brand. No rents here!.
According to Bansal, the principles of profit-sharing are “more or less uniform across brands, with minor variations depending on a particular brand’s strength.” There is a certain minimum percentage commitment by a brand with regard to profit-sharing, and any figure beyond this is a mutually-agreed undertaking between the two parties. Expectedly, no revelation on the latter is forthcoming.
Shop, eat and celebrate!.
That also happens to be the tagline of Bangalore Central as well as, in the words of Kishore Biyani, managing director, Pantaloon Retail, “the spirit that symbolises affluent India.” He expounds, “Bangalore Central is based on the concept of a ‘seamless mall’, with the objective to provide world class retail experience to customers and brands. Pantaloons has always been the pioneers in the retail market and with Central we are hoping to create new benchmarks in mall management.”.
Pantaloons has plans to extend the Central concept to other cities including Hyderabad, Pune and Gurgaon.
Meanwhile,Bangalore will continue to enjoy the unique distinction![ NOW IT IS CLASS " A " CITY ]
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Smart fabric keyboard now available at retail.
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