By Sarfaraz Husain

Delhi and NCR are fast metamorphosing into the land of upscale shopping centres and'destination malls'. An aggressive strategy of survival of the fittest business model is being played out in the marketplace. Mall developers and retailers are exchanging responsibilities and gearing up with new business models, in terms of size, revenue sharing and even facility management.

Other issues as strident consumer activism and political compulsions too, are shaping new strategies. Leading real estate biggies are ready to transform their gigantic real estate holdings into entertainment meccas. This new trend is all set to turn Indians into even bigger shoppers across the length and breadth of the country, writes Sarfaraz Husain.

It's no less than a revolution that's fast changing the way of life for millions of shopping crazy mall-goers in metros, especially in Delhi & NCR. The'shopping infrastructure' in these areas is on the increase like never before. According to consultancy Technopak, India is currently the ninth largest retail market in the world. Organised retailing in the country would cross the $21.5 billion mark by 2010 from the present $7.5 billion. Reasons: strong economy, favourable demographics, rising income, changing lifestyles and consumer aspirations of an ever-burgeoning middle class.

Just two years back, several malls in the NCR were in dire straits. Developers sold off space to retailers and investors, and, having made their profits, wiped their hands off the project. With poor maintenance and no promotion, the malls turned into disasters: empty shops, low footfalls and poor conversion to sales, which left retailers fuming. As of now, a lot of things have changed. The upcoming second generation of malls in NCR and other metros priomise a lot. A lot of learning seems to have taken place from the mishaps of the first round.

Real estate biggies have announced huge plans to unroll malls - and other retail formats - across the country. The figures are mind-boggling, to say the least. For example, DLF will be spending Rs 16,000 crore on developing malls over the next four years, Reliance Retail is planning to splurge Rs 25,000 crore for opening different formats in the next three years. The Kishore Biyani-owned Future Group, India's largest retailer, plans to invest Rs 3,600 crore in 100 stores in 30 cities, increasing its retail space from 3.5 million square feet to 30 million sq feet by 2010.

But the key question is, besides being bigger, will these malls also be better planned? Will they offer customers a better shopping experience? For some of them, at least, the answer is yes. Here is what the NCR's avid mall goer can expect from these new-generation malls.

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