After a decade, Ahmedabad to get new large mall today

The Rs 850-crore project is a 50:50 joint venture of Mumbai-based Phoenix Mills Ltd and Ahmedabad-based real-estate developer B Safal Group.

“For several years, we always felt there was a need for luxury retail space. This mall will have 35 luxury brands that are coming for the first time to Ahmedabad,” said Himanshu Madanmohan, director Safal Constructions Pvt Ltd. The first-timers include Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Coach and Tumi.

The last large mall the city saw was the AlphaOne mall (renamed to Ahmedabad One) at Vastrapur that opened in 2011 with 12 lakh square feet of mall space. Palladium Ahmedabad is opening at a time when at least four shopping malls or complexes in western Ahmedabad are battling high vacancy levels, while two others have been demolished and turned into commercial and residential projects.

“We are operating malls across the country. We are seeing a shopping mall boom like never before… I feel the Ahmedabad market is going to pleasantly surprise us. People are seeking a good shopping experience and the moment you are going to bring scale and experience together, the city will get pulled to the mall. What you are seeing (in Ahmedabad) are older plazas, some of which are working while some have closed; people have not renovated for years. Why would anyone want to go and spend time at such places,” said Rashmi Sen, COO of Phoenix Mills Ltd, which is listed on the BSE. Currently, Phoenix Mills operates 10 malls in the country having a cumulative area of 88 lakh square feet.

“Malls are no longer only about shopping. The luxury brands, food and beverages, and entertainment sections at the mall will be the key differentiator,” Sen added.

Brands such as H&M, Lifestyle, Marks and Spencer, Pantaloons, Max and Reliance Trends among others are the anchor clients at the Palladium mall which the developers said has been 95 per cent leased out so far. The mall is spread over five floors, with the top two floors dedicated to the food and beverages section having restaurants such as Foo, Cha, Jamie’s Pizzeria and Burma Burma, among others.

In the entertainment category, the mall will have state-of-the-art arcade games and entertainment experiences offered by Fun City, Time Zone and Hamleys Play. PVR will offer nine cinema screens with 1,300 seats including IMAX and Luxe screens.

When pointed out that the mall has a parking facility for 600-odd cars and it is located at a busy junction, B Safal representative said the mall is in talks with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and traffic police on “how to decongest” the area.