Marks & Spencer?s Chowringhee address

From Mary Street in Dublin, to Marble Arch in London to Chowringhee in Calcutta ? the city?s ever-expanding magic mart is set for yet another milestone this Independence Day, with UK-based retail giant Marks & Spencer unveiling its first outlet in the city.

The debut address is Avani Heights, opposite Calcutta Club, next to Exide House. The Michael Marks-Tom Spencer partnership of 1894 vintage will anchor the 30,000-sq-ft, three-level retail racks in the G+12 property being developed by the Avani Group. ?We are extremely happy to bring this iconic label on the global retail map to Calcutta,? says Anirudh Daga, managing director, Avani Group, which signed the deal with Planet Retail Holdings Pvt Ltd, exclusive franchisee in India for Marks & Spencer.

While Marks & Spencer will enjoy pride of place in the Rs 30-crore project, Avani Heights comes with a bouquet of other high-profile brands like The Body Shop (also Calcutta?s first), Guess (a hi-fashion denims and casuals brand), Next (family apparel), Women?s Secret (a Spanish women's innerwear brand) and Planet Sports.

Marks & Spencer, which has over 400 stores in the UK and 150-plus outlets worldwide, including 130 franchisee businesses in 30 countries, is coming to Chowringhee with its full range of men?s and women?s lines, toiletries and lingerie. Currently, there are nine Marks & Spencer stores in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Lucknow.

?It?s the largest retail high-street deal signed in Calcutta till date and is another pointer to the fast-maturing market here,? says Abhijit Das of international property consultants Trammel Crow Meghraj, the company that handled the contract.

The Avani Heights brand basket will later come to the South City Mall.

?We are very bullish about Calcutta and hope to create a great destination on Chowringhee,? says Atul Nayar, general manager, Planet Retail Holdings Pvt Ltd.

The one question mark over Marks & Spencer is the price tag, but retail players are convinced Calcutta is more than ready.

?There is a lot of buzz about the brand here and there is sure to be an initial surge at the store,? says Forum general manager Ujjal.

Moloy Ghosh of Espace Planning Services is the architect for Avani Heights, while the interiors of the 12,000 sq ft-plus Marks & Spencer store is being designed according to the standardised international template of the UK major.

A major USP will be the huge ceiling height of 19-22 ft for shoppers? comfort.

The G+3 retail block will have two-way escalators and dedicated parking for 50 vehicles.