IT'S BACK TO BUSINESS AS MUMBAI MALLS CLOCK 80-90% YOY SALES, USHER IN NEW STORES

Mumbai, India’s financial capital may have been the last to let shopping centres open their doors for consumers but six months since the opening, business has picked up and is almost at par with that of malls across other cities in India. While a chunk of the credit for the flourishing business goes to the spirit of Mumbaikars, it is indeed commendable to note the way malls have taken care of the most minute of details to bounce back…

- Zainab S Kazi

Mumbai, India’s financial capital may have been the last to let shopping centres open their doors for consumers but six months since the opening, business has picked up and is almost at par with that of malls across other cities in India. Despite the fact that the Maharashtra Government gave malls the green signal to open much later than other cities (August for Mumbai and September for Thane), most mall heads have praised the decision in retrospect. They feel that the decision was taken after careful evaluation of the situation in hand and in the best interests of the people, especially since the state recorded some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases.

It is prudent to note that after malls were opened to the public, food courts were expected to run at not more than 50 percent of their capacity and movie theatres in malls were allowed to open much later than that. However, despite this, business picked up. Shopping centre heads say that a chunk of the credit goes to the spirit of Mumbai and Mumbaikars. Another reason why people thronged to malls post the Unlock stage was the sheer need for outdoor leisure that the world had been deprived of. Aside from this, the fact that it was festival season helped revive sales all that much faster.

The myriad of factors leading to flourishing business aside, it is indeed commendable to note the way malls have taken care of the most minute of details to bounce back. Malls left no stone unturned to bring back consumer confidence at par with pre-COVID days – from decoration to alluring offers and attractive sales and loyalty programs, shoppers were pampered, made to feel extra special.