Thursday, December 30, 2010
Year ushers in big mall culture
Publication: Deccan Chronicle, Edition: Chennai
Year ushers in big mall culture
K.SREEDEVI
DC | CHENNAI
T here could have been no bet­ter gift for Chennai shopo-holics than the Ampa Sky-walk and Express Avenue malls that came up in 2010. While Skywalk brought trendy shopping near Anna Nagar, already an upper crust shop­ping area, EA ushered in a sea change in mall culture with its sheer size and a variety of activities avail­able on the premises besides glitzy retail shops.
Claimed to be south India's largest, the Rs 750 crore Express Avenue has emerged as the fashion destination of Chennai. Its three floors of shopping apace are forever thronged by the city's fashionistas and the place now registers the max­imum footfalls at any point of time. "It's the first time we see all big brands under one roof," says Mr Mahesh, a software professional.
Shopping stores apart, other fea­tures of the mall include an eight-
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Families, represented by as much as three generations, are tending to spend more than half-a-day in the busy mall, taking in the sights and partaking of food and beverages and generally having a fun outing. This mall culture is pretty new in the city which once had just the old Spencer's shop on Mount Road that used to have escalators as far back as the 1930s.
Another key attraction of the EA mall is its open space with six atri­ums. This is because the built-up area of the 10-acre mall is only 3.57 acres, claim the owners. However, not all is green about the place. "The parking rates are exorbitant and there are too many high-priced, big brands that are not affordable," feels IPR consultant Kavya Mohan.
The new building has completely robbed the sheen of the city's first mall, The Spencer Plaza, located just opposite. "EA mall is too elite and for a true Chennaiite like me, it's Spencer's that's closer to the heart," says Ms Mohan.
theatre multiplex, a 50,000 sq ft food court and a children's play area.
"The mall has everything for the entire family so you can spend an
entire day without getting out. With shopping, movies and dining, this is a tourist spot for most families dur­ing weekends," says Ms Jahnvi, a college student.