Malls are more aggressive on overall customer service standards: Arjun Gehlot
Malls are more aggressive on overall customer service standards: Arjun Gehlot

With the entry of international players in the country, Shop-in-India again seems shifting preference towards brick and mortar stores. Over the past couple of months, big international retail chains have entered in the country and have parked themselves at some lavishing malls in the country.

Players like H&M, GAP, Aeropostle etc. have once again bought that buoyant growth trend in the mall space. Malls have started drawing the attention of urban middle class consumers looking for a hangout or a get together. But are international brands the only factor for this boom or is there some synergy involved?

Trying to figure out the same, Sahil from Retailer Media caught up with Arjun Gehlot, Director, Ambience Mall, to understand about this sudden rise in mall culture and how Ambience Mall plans to cater to this quintessential retail quotient and the turmoil within.

Talk to us about Ambience Mall and the journey so far?
Ambience Mall is actually a brainchild of my father, Mr. Raj Singh Gehlot. He came up with this idea almost 8 years back and that is the time we started operations. He actually believes in perfection. Everything that you do should be the best that you do. So, while building malls, the only aim that we have is to give the best to our retailers and consumer coming here. The retail mix that we have here is handpicked by our operating team. We are very selective about what we have to get, what has to be there in the mall and what shouldn’t. All in all it’s a very selective process throughout.

What would be that one biggest roadblock in mall space?
There are no generic challenges as such.  Yes, as there are so many malls operational these days and the competition being so strong, you have to be very innovative in everything that you do. People want new things everyday and coming up with something that is the need of the hour is a heck of a job.

Consumerism is back in India, where do you see the future of malls 3-5 years down the line?
Future of malls is very bright. At the end of the day, a mall is a place where people come to relax and it’s no more just about shopping. It’s an atmosphere where people meet, hangout, watch movies, eat, play etc. So, it’s more of a family time.

Ecommerce is posing a big threat to brick and mortar retailing. How do cope with this form of retailing?
Yes, eCommerce is there, but I think the feel of coming to a shop and shopping is completely different from sitting at home and looking at screens. With everyone being a health freak now-a-days, it’s good that you are working and shopping. You burn more calories here rather than sitting at your home and all in all it’s a happy feeling.

What makes Ambience mall, a class ahead of its competition?
I would say that the whole zoning concept that we follow is a thing that not many people have realized so far. Same types of brands have to be in the same areas of the mall, space allocation, option for every age group etc. This is something that we have followed till now and things have worked out very well for us.
Everything that we do, we give our best. There is attention to detail at each and every step that we take. From the kind of stores we have, to the finishing of the products, interiors, to common areas, it’s all about attention to detail.

How do you help brands at Ambience Mall gain more traction?
This is more of teamwork than a mall’s responsibility. Brands and a mall are just like a family. Brands participate with us in doing different kind of promotions but at the end of the day, a mall is responsible for the footfall and so we have to focus on different kinds of stuffs to attract the customers. According to me, it’s a mall’s responsibility to increase the footfalls and then it’s the brands that have to take it further. It’s like a marriage!

What is the retail mix at Ambience Mall?
As I said, we follow the step of zoning. There are a limited number of shops that we have allocated for national and international brand. We also have allocation for women brands, children brands, electronics so on a so forth. So, that’s our major mantra that have to follow and if the space is not there, we strictly won’t any other brand and overrule our concept of zoning.

Share with us your expansion plans.
It will be a surprise for you guys but yes, we do have some good plans in the pipeline.

What potential do you see in tier II cities of the country?
Tier II cities are actually picking up. Even in other sectors such as residential, tier II cities are growing exponentially well. People there have exposure to tier I cities with better connectivity these days and so hence they have actually seen what is available here. They will surely expect it to be in tier II cities for them and if there is a demand, there will be supply too. 

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