A t2 chat with Sanjiv Goenka:

Has it sunk in yet that Quest is a year old?

No it’s not sunk in yet; it still seems like yesterday. It feels very good to have this kind of response from the city and it feels good in a way that the city is ripe for international offerings and good food. We’re not a city that lags behind anymore and we strive to do better every day.

Can you share with us five strong images or memories from the year that was?

The inauguration of the mall (September 30, 2013 by chief minister Mamata Banerjee) and the launch of ISL (October 12, 2014 where Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar and Mukesh Ambani showed up).

Then there was this moment where a lady walked up to me, a lady who I didn’t know, and she said, ‘Are you Mr Goenka?’ I said, ‘Yes’. And she said, ‘I can’t bless you enough for having given this mall to our city’. To me that was a very touching moment.

There was also a moment where I happened to meet some residents of the locality at a party and they told me in Bengali, lines to the effect of, ‘Aapne hamari locality ki shobha badha di’. It felt very good to hear that.

I think the fifth probably would be the fact that almost all the retailers are making money in the mall. And that’s something we’re very conscious of — that it’s not about us making money, but everyone making money.

For me, it was a vision, a passion to bring something of international repute to the city. And also to prove that the city is ready for it and the city will respond positively to it.

Any learnings in the last year, any pleasant or unpleasant surprises?

The pleasant feeling has been the huge response the luxury brands have got in the city. It’s not a surprise because I had expected it but it was much more than I had expected. And learnings are there every day. Every day. You learn from mistakes you make on a day-to-day basis. I would have put in more luxury. I would have balanced my brands more carefully. I would have been more conscious about competition putting so many spokes in the wheel, which I never expected. But these are mistakes you live and learn from.

The Rain of Petals installation that cascades down the floors was something you were always keen on despite everyone thinking it was a gamble… today it’s the most photographed spot in Quest!

You know, it’s not only about having a body but having a soul to the body. It’s about also dressing up the body. You need people, you need life, you need vibrancy. And you need people to be proud of something. ‘We’re proud, we’re happy to be going to Quest. We enjoy going to Quest’... that was the mood or theme we sort of approached the whole mall with.

Any big brand we can look forward to in the coming year?

It’s too early to mention but there will hopefully be at least one more major international accessory brand we can look forward to next year.

A chat with Dilip Sen, MD, CESC Properties Ltd., and Sanjeev Mehra, VP, CESC Properties Ltd., on mall and the retail space:

Dilip Sen (right) and Sanjeev Mehra of Quest mall cut the Q-shaped birthday cake on Friday with a young shopper

What is the profile of the mall-goer today?

Basically, it’s the younger lot. As a reverberating effect, only do people above 50 come to the mall. If you live in a city, meaning a manicured house with little space, you step into a mall for an experience be it the air-condition or indulging in impulse. You may come to buy groceries but end up with a Fossil watch. What enriches the experience? Multiplex and cuisine. So after shopping at Lifestyle, you lunch at Yauatcha or Serafina.

How has the retail space changed in the last five-10 years?

There is this continuous thought process among people to play down the city and the country. But the underlying truth is that there is a big market for retail, a big demand and a passion to do it. At the end of the day, we all want to live the way the rest of the world lives. As far as Quest is concerned, the timing could not have been more appropriate. The biggest problem we face in India is that there are not enough brands and any mall’s identity depends on the brands it carries. Now in the super-premium brands, we’ve pretty much got 70-75 per cent and the rest will come when they see the numbers.

What about mall design?

Today it is a very scientific approach. You don’t look for any architect; you look for an architect who does retail design. At Quest, the mall design is not minimalist. We intentionally wanted the mall to be an experience. You won’t find a mall of this size in India, or the world, that has spent Rs 18 crore on the facade. The Rain of Petals that changes colour is the most photographed piece in the last one year in Calcutta, and a mood enhancer, which is part of the ‘experience’. So much so that Sanjiv (Goenka) at one point of time had to tell the management not to allow photographs there during brisk business hours!

How apprehensive were you about making luxury brands work?

I remember when we had the first couple of meetings with the head of Gucci at that time in Mumbai they said, ‘How will Gucci be accepted?’ And we said that more than any brand in the city, it is a strong brand like Gucci that people are ready to appreciate and pay for because we’ve grown up hearing about a Rolex or a Gucci. Today, they are happy meeting their expectations from the city.

What are some of the challenges brands face?

Brands need to constantly reinvent themselves for the country’s market. An example of great positioning is William Penn. It’s a case study how this small shop at Quest sells Rs 20 lakh per month! If your son does well, you gift him a William Penn. So a writing company has reinvented itself into a gifting company.

It’s also about understanding the customer’s preference. For a ladies luxury handbag, you can go for Gucci which is Rs 70,000, you can go for Michael Kors Rs 34,000, Furla Rs 26,000 or DKNY which is Rs 30,000. It’s about understanding which brand the customer would, perhaps, jump over.

Do designer stores work in malls?

An independent designer store may not do as well as an aggregator like Satya Paul, which offers four-five components.

What was the idea behind a luxury cafe on the ground floor?

It was an idea we played with. Shoppers buying from the ground floor brands, spending Rs 60,000 on a bag or watch, wouldn’t mind spending on coffee and croissant. Plus, Q33 has an evolving menu that changes every three months. Today, the cafe is doing close to Rs 20 lakh a month.

What about the restaurant-goer?

Quest has changed the eating habits of a shopper. The five-star hotels are suffering because people don’t want to pay insanely high prices in a hotel because of luxury taxes. Indians think through their stomach. A family will decide where to eat before they decide which mall to go to.

What then is the success formula?

We have noticed that stores that are successful have a very strong cerebral component. They read the customer’s behaviour and have a quick turnaround time in changing the offering. You also have to be season-sensitive. By the time you get the winter garments, it shouldn’t be summer.

As for the mall, you have to position it seven years in the future. The contract with most brands in Quest is for around nine years. So you have to take brands that have a forward-thinking approach.