It won’t be long before Guwahati becomes the Mulund of the Northeast. Just 15 months back, shoppers from the region used to go all the way to Kolkata for a visit to a mall.
GUWAHATI: It won’t be long before Guwahati becomes the Mulund of the Northeast. Just 15 months back, shoppers from the region used to go all the way to Kolkata for a visit to a mall. No longer. Ever since Hub opened in Guwahati in December 2004, followed by Sohum Shoppe and Vishal Mega Mart, Assam’s capital is abuzz on weekends with people from Tripura to Arunachal, and Manipur to Mizoram who come for the unique shopping experience.
“There’s nothing like shopping in a mall. It’s an entertaining experience and a great stress reliever,” says Reena Tamuli, an executive with a multinational company. “Traditional shops here hardly store any varieties. That is why we had to go to Kolkata. But now, the malls have brought all sorts of goods to us,” she adds.
Hub, the first mall to open in the region, has come up on an area of 55,000 sq ft on Guwahati-Shillong (GS) Road. Although it has an average conversion rate of 20 per cent, meaning 20 per cent of the visitors end up buying something, there are sections like Daily Bazaar which have a conversion rate of 65 per cent. “Food outlets, like Sanjeev Kapoor's Yellow Chilies, are the most popular," says Prakash Sanganeria, proprietor, Hub.
Vishal Mega Mart opened six months ago on an area of 55,000 sq ft on Assam-Tripura Road in the heart of the city. Its general manager, Gautam Kumar Medhi, says the mall has been so successful that the proprietors are planning more malls in the city and in other parts of the Northeast. "We have a conversion rate of 80 per cent. That's because of our prime location and the wide range of prices that cater to customers across segments. The garment outlets here are especially popular," informs Medhi.
One reason why the shops in the malls are registering huge sales is because Guwahati is host to a floating population from neighbouring states like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. "Not only are they rich, but also they like to have the latest goods.
This attitude has kept up sales," says Swastika Jalan, one of the partners in Sohum Shoppe. "In fact, they start enquiring about a product much before it hits the shelves. About half of them are window shoppers, but the other half buys high end products. So the conversion rate is high." Ashish Bhutani, chairman, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, says big mall players like Shoppers Stop know what Guwahati's floating population means in terms of business. "The big mall chains have started sending delegations here to study the business prospects. At least six proposals for malls are pending scrutiny with us. The list includes some very big names."
It is only a matter of time before the big players are seen in the region, says MP Jain, president, Kamrup Chamber of Commerce. “I know for sure that Big Bazaar and Reliance intend to enter the region.” Malls like Donna Plaza and Amaze are nearing completion on GS Road, and a few more will be ready by the end of the year. This is, however, just the beginning.
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