Jan. 13: This Section is Closed. Inconvenience Regretted.
The writing is on the wall of South City Mall, which will undergo a "design and technical refurbishment" for a period of two to four months starting February 1.
Around 110 stores in the mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road will remain closed during the renovation. The mall that opened on January 16, 2008, completes nine years this month.
"As a responsible corporate house, we want to set a benchmark for the city's malls. This is the first time in Calcutta that a mall is shutting down to upgrade its facilities to provide a better experience and ambience," Man Mohan Bagree, vice-president and COO, South City Group told Metro on Friday.
"It's a huge revenue loss for us but it's important to upgrade retail space every few years, especially now with shoppers getting distracted by new properties," he added.
All the vanilla retail stores from the ground floor to the third floor, except the anchor tenants like Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons, Spencer's, INOX cinemas and a handful more, will stay shut during this period (see box) .
The cost of South City Mall at the time of launch was Rs 250 crore and its size was "four times as big as Forum", which was Calcutta's only mall at the time. Now with Quest positioned as the city's prime luxury mall and Acropolis starting to draw in the crowds, the cost of South City Mall's upgrade is estimated at Rs 30 crore.
"People are exposed to international malls when they travel. We wish to make South City Mall world class in terms of feel, look and facilities. In Singapore, malls are upgraded every five-six years and now with competition like Acropolis and Quest, it is all the more necessary," said Sushil Mohta, a director of South City Projects Ltd.
In terms of design, shoppers can expect "new furniture fixtures", "different colour tone of the columns", "wall cladding", a better screening experience at the entrance, and "premium restrooms" in the new-look South City II. There are also plans for a staff recreation centre/canteen.
"Once a shopper enters the premises, he/ she will experience a new look and feel. At present, we have beige and steel columns inside the mall. The cladding of these columns may be replaced with marble and veneer. Plus, the space allotted to restrooms will be approximately 2,000sq ft on each floor, an increase of around 20 per cent. They will be equipped with spaces for baby-feeding and family restrooms (for parents accompanying child)," said Bagree.
The technical refurbishment will include air-conditioning, electricity and water consumption facilities. "The new design will be environment-friendly with CFL lights being converted to LED, reducing energy consumption. The revamped air-conditioning will reduce heat load. When we opened in 2008, the technology was 10 years ahead and it's now time to upgrade it for the next few years," added Bagree.
The fire-fighting system will also be upgraded. On December 4, a fire broke out in the third-floor food court and portions of the false ceiling and glass panes had to be broken to let out thick smoke.
Security is another major focus. "Next-gen CCTVs will ensure clearer recording and access from anywhere in the world. This is vital for a public space like ours, which has to be under constant surveillance for safety reasons," explained Bagree. The security checkpoint at the mall entrance will be altered to provide a more "private, comfortable and air-conditioned" experience for the visitor.
Around 90-95 per cent of the store leases will expire in January. To accommodate more brands, there will be a reconfiguration of the existing retail space. "The way people shop has changed over time. To put that in perspective, those who bought Spykar jeans moved to Levi's and now buy Tommy Hilfiger. The number of jeans one buys has also gone up which indicates the increased spending power," said Bagree.
The mall clocks a buy-and-bite count of around 1.8 million to 2 million a month. On December 25, 2016, the footfall was 2.3 lakh.
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