Who said malls are old-school? Ahmedabad will soon become the destination to have India’s biggest shopping mall.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) based retail conglomerate called Lulu Group International has announced the construction of the country’s biggest shopping mall in Ahmedabad.
The group, which is a major investor in various ongoing and upcoming projects in India, has announced an investment worth Rs 3,000 crore for the mall in Ahmedabad.
The construction of the mall is likely to begin next year, according to a statement released by the company.
Let’s take a closer look at the details of the project.
About the project
Lulu Group International’s mega investment to build the largest mall in India comes after the group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Gujarat during the UAE road show which was attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Dubai. During this meeting, the Lulu group presented the details of the project as well as its investment plans for the state.
According to a report by Moneycontrol, the group’s Director of Indian Operations, Ananth Ram said, “This will be India’s biggest shopping mall with the biggest Lulu Hypermarket as its anchor store.”
He added that owing to its modern facilities and attractions, the group hopes to bring in both national and international tourists to the region which will in turn provide employment opportunities to many as well as support local entrepreneurs.
Lulu Mall in Kochi was opened in 2013. Image Courtesy: Lulu Mall Kochi
V Nandakumar, the Director of Marketing and Communications of Lulu Group said that the organisation is at the final stage of acquiring the land required to construct the mall and that the foundation stone will be laid next year.
“Our aim is to make Ahmedabad one of the most prolific shopping destinations in India and there is no doubt that this shopping mall will be a milestone destination for everyone in India and abroad,” added Nandakumar.
Yusuff Ali MA, the chairman and managing director of Lulu Group International revealed why the group chose Gujarat for the project. He said, “Gujarat has developed a lot under the dynamic leadership of Narendra Modiji, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat and our current Hon’ble Prime Minister and also under the wise leadership of current Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel.
“Today Gujarat is looked upon as a destination for its state-of-the-art facilities and its ease-of-doing business. I learnt the basics of business in Ahmedabad where my family members were doing business so Gujarat is very close to my heart,” he added.
Features of the new mall
The mall will be one of a kind and will be equipped with modern facilities and attractions that is ought to bring in shoppers and visitors.
The country’s biggest shopping mall will feature over 300 national and international shopping brands, a 3000-people capacity food court with multi-cuisine restaurants, 15-screen multiplex cinemas Imax and many other attractions.
Apart from this, the mall will also be accompanied by India’s biggest children’s amusement centre.
Lulu Group is known for its sprawling businesses worldwide and is now expanding its reach in India. As per the group’s official website, the Lulu mall in Ahmedabad will be its fifth mall in India.
The group already has four operational malls in Kochi, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram and Lucknow.
Other malls by Lulu group in India
Inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Lulu mall in Lucknow was inaugurated this year in July. According to a report by Financial Express, on its opening day, the mall witnessed a footfall of over one lakh people. The mall was built with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore and is located in Lucknow’s Amar Shaheed Path. It features brands like Decathlon, Starbucks, Nykaa, Luxe and restaurant chain Chili’s.
In 2021, the Lulu group opened a shopping mall in Bengaluru’s Rajaji Nagar. The mall is spread across 14 acres and has over 130 stores. It also has a big indoor entertainment zone. The food court features around 23 outlets, besides restaurants and cafes.
The Lulu Mall in Bengaluru is located in Rajaji Nagar. Image Courtesy: Lulu Mall Bengaluru
The Lulu Mall in Kochi, Kerela was opened in 2013. With an investment of Rs 1,600 crore, the mall is located in Kochi’s Edapally junction. Spread over 2.5 million square feet, the mall has an amusement centre, an ice-skating rink, 5D Cinema Hall, an arcade gaming zone and a 12-alley bowling zone. According to Kerela Tourism, the food court has mouth-watering delicacies from authentic Kerela cuisine to Arabian food.
The big malls around the world
Malls are still the preferred place for people who want to take some steam off during weekends. Acting as a one-stop destination for everything, be it shopping, eating or watching a movie, the number of malls across the world has only increased over the years.
According to a report by World Atlas, as of 2020, the biggest mall in the world is the Iran Mall. Covering an area of 21 million square feet, the mall is located in Northwest Tehran. On the roof of the mall is a sporting complex where people can engage in activities like hiking and cycling. The complex also has a tennis court, a swimming pool and an ice rink.
Opened in 2005, the 7.1 million square feet South China Mall was mostly empty for some initial years and only one percent of its space was being used by retailers. The reason behind a low footfall, according to Latitude, was the mall’s hard-to-reach location. However, over the years it has become much livelier and today the mall features an IMAX-style cinema hall and theme park. Apart from this, the mall also has seven zones which are modelled after various famous cities around the world.
One of the oldest malls in the USA, the King of Prussia Mall covers an area of three million square feet. The mall attracts as many as 22 million visitors each year and has brands like Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdales.
Shopping malls don’t always have to be just about stores and food courts. The Morocco Mall located in Casablanca is a perfect example of this. It has a 1,000,000-litre aquarium which is home to over 40 different species of fish and visitors can even scuba dive in the aquarium.
With inputs from agencies
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