Paradise lost

Today,a poster announces an exciting offer of “Rs 50 per ticket for movies on weekdays”,at PVR Anupam. “Who can resist the charm of an air-conditioned and sprawling shopping arena like a mall?” says a nostalgic Bharat Sethi,store manager at Musicland,the music shop at Anupam. His 10-year-old store,adjacent to the multiplex,has been a hip destination for youngsters who want their regular dose of music releases and latest VCDs. “Young people would visit the store after a film or sometimes,walk in to pass time at the store. Now,the walk-in clientele has sharply fallen with the mall opening up,” he adds. And with music being easily available on the Net,Sethi has gone in for innovative marketing strategies like increasing his stock of VCDs and DVDs with a focus on marketing small accessories and tie-ups. An A3 poster on the door announces a five per cent discount on all goods if the customer displays a Café Coffee Day bill. “Promotions like these help us in attracting clientele,” says Sethi.

Lala Ram of Soni Chaat Bhandar tells a similar story — “I remember when the single screen Anupam cinema sold tickets for Rs 3 and people would throng my stall for cups of chai. Now,I get very few visitors as people seem to prefer the comfortable environment of the nearby malls,” he says. He had started out by selling tea at the market under the shade of a peepal tree 35 years ago before diversifying into chaat more than 10 years ago. Now,because of the low business,Ram has not dared to hike his prices. “I sell four golgappas for Rs 10 whereas one gets four golgappas for Rs 40 at the mall. But,people still complain,” he says with a sad smile.

Rentals at Anupam market are by no means cheap,ranging from Rs 200 per sq ft for the ground floor to Rs 150 for the first floor. Gagan Kapoor,owner,Buzz,a restobar that opened in 2001,says,“Our business has been only marginally affected since our women customers,who would earlier come early in the evening,prefer the mall since it is more convenient. But we still manage 150 footfalls per day. We have always catered to the evening clientele,and since malls shut down by 11pm we enjoy a steady stream of customers” Nonetheless,with his nine-year lease set to expires soon,Kapoor is contemplating moving to MGF Metropolitan Mall,where the rentals are more attractive at Rs 100- Rs 125 per sq ft for the first floor.

Kapoor is not alone; many shops are considering it viable to move to malls. Three months back,Om Bookstore,opened a 1,500 sq ft outlet on the ground floor at the MGF Metropolitan mall. “Our sales at the Anupam market were affected by 30-40 per cent and there was a 75 per cent reduction in footfalls. We have managed to break even with our mall outlet,” says a store representative at Anupam. Retail consultant Shiv Kumar Mehra suggests that Anupam market has reached its saturation. “The rentals are higher than in most malls in the area and shop owners are considering moving into malls now,” he says. However,the 20-year-old Indian restaurant,Madhuban,on the first floor at Anupam,has no such plans. The 70-seater outlet has begun theme nights like ‘candle night dinners’ on Wednesdays and increased Happy Hours by four hours to attract clientele. “We have recently felt a crunch of customers but the schemes have helped us,” says Naveen Madhuban,manager.