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20 Malls-Cum-Multiplexes To Come Up From Jessore Road To Siliguri

By siddharth22, Section Mall Culture in Kolkata
Posted on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 10:39:10 PM EST

The landscape along National Highway 34 is about to change. For ever. Over the next 18 months, the stretch between Jessore Road intersection to Siliguri will have twice as many malls as Kolkata has now.

At least 20 mall-cum-multiplexes have been planned along this length of the high frequency highway. Construction has already started on 10 of them. By 2010, they promise to change the face of shopping and entertainment in districts the highway runs along.

Ten of the malls will be built by Bengal Shelter Housing Development Limited, a real estate developer. To let people know that a whole new mall district is coming up on NH-34, Singhadwar (lion's gate) is being built at the VIP Road-Jessore Road intersection, the architecture a replica of the gates of Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.

There would be no compromise on space or the kind of merchandise that will be available at these malls in spite of the fact that they are located away from Kolkata. In fact, many of these shopping centres are being planned on a much grander scale than what we are used to in the city. The smallest of these would have a covered space of 400,000 sq ft. Besides being a single-point shopping stopover for residents and those on the highway, the centre of attraction in each of these malls would certainly be the multiplexes that have been planned as an intrinsic part of them. Some leading names in fast food chains will also be expected to be present in the food courts of these malls.

Take the case of Gouri Kunja, the first mall on the stretch. It is planned to have an area of 600,000 sq ft and is being described as a lifestyle store for the upwardly mobile. Two names that would be big crowd pullers here are, Big Bazaar and Adlabs multiplex.

At Panthopadap, another mall covering 550000 sq ft near Barasat, Pantaloons alone has taken 2.80 lakh sq ft space and will set up its "Destination Mall". Asked why the popular brand chose to set up its biggest and best stocked store in North 24-Parganas, Manish Agarwal of Pioneer that acts as the marketing consultant for Pantaloons said, "A lion's share of the footfall in the city's malls comes from neighbouring districts. Hence, if we take the store to them it will certainly boost sales!" In this mall the multiplex will be set up by Inox.

Further up, at Nilganj near Kalyani, the mall will cover a space of 400,000 sq ft. While both Pantaloons and Big Bazaar are expected to be present here, Adlabs is setting up the multiplex.

Malls in places like Amdanga, North 24-Parganas, and Krishnagar, Nadia, have been planned as part of housing complexes and would cover 500,000 sq ft each. Krishnakali, the mall in Krishnagar, has been designed in such a way that the turrets remind one of the Krishnagar palace. In fact, in all the 10 malls, the basic design would remain the same with the domes and turrets changing according to local architecture. So, one look at Mirmadan in Behrampore, Murshidabad, would remind you of the Nawabi architecture that is a hallmark of the area. The 500,000 sq ft mall being built on a 150-bigha plot would be at the centre of an urban neighbourhood in the town. The mall in Malda is coming up near Rabindra Bhavan and the one in Siliguri, christened Himjhuri, is being built on an eight-acre plot near Teenbatti intersection which will be developed as a commercial hub.

Samar Nag, the chief of Bengal Shelter said, "The idea is not to overshadow the local flavour of the place with a swanky mall. In each of these malls, we will ensure that local art, culture and food is represented." The deal with Adlabs about the latter's presence in these malls is about to be finalized by the end of the month, said P P Tewari of Remac that has been acting as the marketing consultant for Adlabs.

Source:The Times Of India,06-03-08

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