Book one: Introduction book

BOOK ONE

INTRODUCTION BOOK

A SHOPPING MALL, SHOPPING CENTRE OR SHOPPING PRECINCT IS ONE OR MORE BUILDINGS FORMING A COMPLEX OF SHOPS REPRESENTING MERCHANDISERS, WITH INTERCONNECTING WALKWAYS ENABLING VISITORS TO EASILY WALK FROM UNIT TO UNIT, ALONG WITH A PARKING AREA A MODERN, INDOOR VERSION OF THE TRADITIONAL MARKETPLACE.
1.1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF SHOPPING MALL:

THE FIRST STRUCTURE RESEMBLING WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE A "SHOPPING MALL" IN THE PRESENT-DAY IS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF DAMASCUS, THE CAPITAL CITY OF SYRIA. IT IS CALLED AL-HAMIDIYAH SOUQ IN OLD DAMASCUS AND DATES BACK TO THE SEVENTH CENTURY. ISFAHAN'S GRAND BAZAAR, WHICH IS LARGELY COVERED, DATES FROM THE 10TH CENTURY. THE 10 KILOMETER LONG COVERED TEHRAN'S GRAND BAZAAR ALSO HAS A LONG HISTORY. THE GRAND BAZAAR OF ISTANBUL WAS BUILT IN THE 15TH CENTURY AND IS STILL ONE OF THE LARGEST COVERED MARKETS IN THE WORLD, WITH MORE THAN 58 STREETS AND 4,000 SHOPS. GOSTINY DVOR IN ST. PETERSBURG, WHICH OPENED IN 1785, MAY BE REGARDED AS ONE OF THE FIRST PURPOSELY-BUILT MALL-TYPE SHOPPING COMPLEXES, AS IT CONSISTED OF MORE THAN 100 SHOPS COVERING AN AREA OF OVER 53,000 M2 (570,000 SQ FT). THE OXFORD COVERED MARKET IN OXFORD, ENGLAND OPENED IN 1774 AND STILL RUNS TODAY. THE BURLINGTON ARCADE IN LONDON WAS OPENED IN 1819. THE ARCADE IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND INTRODUCED THE RETAIL ARCADE CONCEPT TO THE

Book one: Introduction book

UNITED STATES IN 1828. THIS WAS A FORERUNNER OF TODAY'S SHOPPING MALL [4] THE GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II IN MILAN, ITALY FOLLOWED IN THE 1870S AND IS CLOSER TO LARGE MODERN MALLS IN SPACIOUSNESS. OTHER LARGE CITIES CREATED ARCADES AND SHOPPING CENTRES IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY, INCLUDING THE CLEVELAND ARCADE, DAYTON (OHIO) ARCADE AND MOSCOW'S GUM, WHICH OPENED IN 1890. AN EARLY INDOOR MALL PROTOTYPE IN THE UNITED STATES WAS THE LAKE VIEW STORE AT MORGAN PARK, DULUTH, MINNESOTA, WHICH WAS BUILT IN 1915 AND HELD ITS GRAND OPENING ON JULY 20, 1916. THE BUILDING IS TWO STORIES WITH A FULL BASEMENT, AND SHOPS WERE ORIGINALLY LOCATED ON ALL THREE LEVELS.
1.2 MALL CULTURE IN INDIA:

MALL CULTURE IN INDIA HAS GROWN WITH AN INCREDIBLE PACE. JUST A FEW YEARS BACK, PEOPLE HAD TO MAKE A CHOICE AMONG SHOPPING, MOVIES OR HANGING OUT ON A HOLIDAY BUT THANKS TO OUR MALLS, ALL THESE JOBS CAN BE PERFORMED AT THE SAME TIME, UNDER THE SAME ROOF AND THAT TOO WITH A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. AND IT IS BASICALLY THE EXPERIENCE AND NOT THE INTENTION THAT COUNTS WHEN IT COMES TO MALLS. THE REASON WHY SHOPPING MALLS ARE SO POPULAR LIES IN THEIR INTERNATIONAL APPEAL. IT SEEMS TO BE A THING OF HISTORY WHEN SHOPPING MALLS HAD THEIR PRESENCE ONLY IN PLACES LIKE SINGAPORE AND DUBAI. IN FACT, NOW THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AROUND US. IF WE DIVE BACK IN TIME TO THE EARLY NINETIES, ANSAL PLAZA APPEARED TO BE THE ONLY POPULAR SHOPPING MALL OF THE REGION BUT PRESENTLY THERE ARE MANY NUMBERS OF WELL-ESTABLISHED MALLS IN THE REGION AND ANOTHER HUNDREDS-ODD NEW SHOPPING ARCADES ARE SET TO DOT THE CITY LANDSCAPE IN DAYS TO COME. PEOPLE FIND THESE MALLS TO BE THE BEST PLACE TO SHOP OR HANG OUT IN SUMMER HEAT AS THEY OFFER FREE ENTRY TO A COMPLETELY AIR CONDITIONED COMPLEX WITH GOOD MUSIC PLAYING ALL AROUND AND LOADS OF WINDOW SHOPPING OPPORTUNITY WHICH IS APPRECIATED BY ONE AND ALL. NOT TO

Book one: Introduction book

FORGET THE NUMEROUS FOOD JOINTS THAT SERVE DIFFERENT CUISINES MEANT TO MAGNETIZE THE TASTE BUDS OF ALL THE FOODIES.
1.3 SHOPPING MALL CULTURE IN KOLKATA:

THE TREMENDOUS HIKE IN THE NUMBER OF SHOPPING MALLS IN KOLKATA IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF GLOBALIZATION. IN ITS MARCH TOWARDS THE 'GLOBAL VILLAGE', THE SHOPPING MALLS ARE PROVIDING KOLKATA WITH THE GUSTO TO MOVE STILL FURTHER. THE SHOPPING MALLS CAN BE SAID TO BE THE OUTCOME OF THE CLASS CONSCIOUS CITIZENS WHO PREFERS SOPHISTICATED ENVIRONS FOR SHOPPING. IN FACT, THE MUSHROOMING OF THE INTERNATIONAL BRANDS IN INDIA HAS ALSO CREATED THE NEED OF MULTIFARIOUS SHOPPING MALLS TO EMERGE. "POLLUTION-FREE AIR-CONDITIONED SHOPPING AMBIENCE IN THE MALLS IS PREFERABLE TO THE HEAT, HUMIDITY, NOISE AND AIR POLLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH ROADSIDE SHOPPING. THE REASONS PUSHING THIS SUDDEN SPURT OF GROWTH ARE FAIRLY WELL KNOWN. THE FACT IS THAT KOLKATA HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A WINNING CITY FOR RETAILERS. INDUSTRY SOURCES SAY KOLKATA HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF A BEING A METRO CITY WITH GIANT NUMBERS AND IT'S ALSO A CHEAP CITY TO LIVE IN. AROUND 80 PER CENT OF THE PEOPLE ARE EITHER LANDOWNERS OR UNDER OLD TENANCY, WHICH MEANS THAT THEIR WALLETS AREN'T SLIMMED BY LARGE PAYOUTS AS HOUSE RENT. THAT'S NOT ALL. THE INFOTECH AND BPO BOOMS HAVE HAD THEIR IMPACT ON THE CITY. THE EXECUTIVES AT THESE COMPANIES EARN AS MUCH AS SIMILAR LEVEL EXECUTIVES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. BUT SINCE THE COST OF LIVING IS CHEAP THEY HAVE A GREATER AMOUNT OF DISPOSABLE INCOME. ALSO, THERE'S THE FACT THAT MIDDLE CLASS HABITS ARE CHANGING. WITH LOWER INTEREST RATES PEOPLE ARE SAVING LESS AND DOUBLE-INCOME FAMILIES NOW HAVE MUCH MORE MONEY TO SPEND.

Book one: Introduction book

IN FACT, INDUSTRY GUESSTIMATES SUGGEST THAT THE AVERAGE KOLKATAN SPENDS RS 1,000 PER VISIT TO A SHOPPING MALL. ABOUT 12 PER CENT SPEND RS 5,000 PER VISIT.
1.4 INDIAN RETAIL INDUSTRY :

MODERN RETAILING HAS ENTERED INDIA IN FORM OF SPRAWLING MALLS AND HUGE COMPLEXES OFFERING SHOPPING, ENTERTAINMENT, LEISURE TO THE CONSUMER AS THE RETAILERS EXPERIMENT WITH A VARIETY OF FORMATS, FROM DISCOUNT STORES TO SUPERMARKETS TO HYPERMARKETS TO SPECIALTY CHAINS. INDIAS RETAIL INDUSTRY ACCOUNTS FOR 10 PERCENT OF ITS GDP AND 8 PERCENT OF THE EMPLOYMENT TO REACH $17 BILLION BY 2010. THE INDIAN RETAIL MARKET IS ESTIMATED AT US$ 350 BILLION. BUT ORGANIZED RETAIL IS ESTIMATED AT ONLY US$ 8 BILLION. HOWEVER, THE OPPORTUNITY IS HUGE-BY 2010, ORGANISED RETAIL IS EXPECTED TO GROW AT 6 PER CENT BY 2010 AND TOUCH A RETAIL BUSINESS OF $ 17 BILLION AS AGAINST ITS CURRENT GROWTH LEVEL OF 3 PER CENT WHICH AT PRESENT IS ESTIMATED TO BE $ 6 BILLION, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY UNDERTAKEN BY THE ASSOCIATED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF INDIA (ASSOCHAM).
1.5 BOOK RETAIL INDUSTRY IN INDIA:

Book one: Introduction book

THE BOOK INDUSTRY IS ESTIMATED AT OVER RS. 30 BILLION OUT OF WHICH ORGANIZED RETAIL ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY 7 PER CENT (AT RS.2.10 BILLION). THIS SEGMENT IS SEEN TO BE EMERGING WITH TEXT AND CURRICULUM BOOKS ACCOUNTING TO ABOUT 50 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL SALES. THE GIFTING HABIT IN INDIA IS CATCHING ON FAST WITH BOOKS ENJOYING A SIGNIFICANT SHARE, THUS EXPECTING THIS SECTOR TO GROW BY 15 PER CENT ANNUALLY. TODAY WE HAVE SEVERAL LARGE FORMAT BOOK STORE CHAINS AROUND LANDMARK, CROSSWORD, DEPOT, TIMEOUT AND OTHERS. AND THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS JUST SO MUCH BETTER IN THEM AS COMPARED TO NORMAL BOOK SHOPS YOU NO LONGER NEED TO KNOW THE NAME OF THE BOOK/AUTHOR YOU ARE LOOKING FOR, YOU CAN GO AND BROWSE THE BOOKS, READ THEM, DISCOVER NEW AUTHORS RIGHT THERE IN THE BOOK STORE NONE OF WHICH IS POSSIBLE IN AN OLD FORMAT STORE.
1.6 RISE OF SPECIALTY MALLS:

THE FREE MARKET GROWTH AND CURRENT GLOBALIZATION HAS RESULTED IN A BOOMING ORGANIZED RETAILING SECTOR. THE CURRENT TREND OF MALL CULTURE IS DRIFTING TOWARD SPECIALIZED MALLS. THE AIM IS TO CAPTURE THE CLASSIC MANDI OF PARTICULAR GOODS AT A PARTICULAR PLACE. SOME EXAMPLES OF SPECIALIZED MALLS ARE: FOOD MALL JEWELRY MALL AUTO MALL WEDDING MALL ELECTRONICS MALL BOOK MALL

1.7 BOOK MALL:

A BOOK MALL IS A SPECIALIZED MALL DEALING WITH BOOKS AND OTHER RELATED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. CURRENTLY THERE IS BOOK MALL IN DENVER (U.S.A) AND ONE IS PROPOSED IN BEIJING CHINA

Book one: Introduction book

A BOOK MALL DIFFERS FROM A LARGE BOOK STORE BY THE VARIETY OF SERVICES IT CAN BE MADE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING UNDER SAME ROOF LIKE BOOK STORES LIBRARY READING ROOMS GIFT AND MUSIC E-BOOK STORE BOOK ARCHIVES BOOK PUBLISHING BOOK BINDING BOOK LAUNCHES PUBLISHING HOUSE SERVICES CHILDREN LEARNING EXPERIENCE ETC

1.8 THE PROPOSAL OF BOOK MALL IN INDIA :

VARNAPARICHAY IS INDIAS FIRST PROPOSED INTEGRATED BOOK-MALL, A UNIQUE IDEA TO BRING TOGETHER THE PUBLISHERS AND THE BUYERS, THE BOOKSHOPS OWNERS AND THE BOOK LOVERS FROM DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE WORLD, IN THE COLLECTION OF ALL KINDS OF BOOKS ON EARTH. IN A CAPSULE, IT WILL HAVE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING FOR ALL BOOK LOVERS, IN AN AREA NEARLY OF A MILLION SQ.FT. COLLEGE STREET IS A UNIQUE PLACE BY ITSELF IN KOLKATA AND VARNAPARICHAY WILL BE AN EXTENSION OF THIS UNIQUENESS. INDIAS FIRST EVER BOOK MALL IS VISIONED TO EMERGE CONCEPTUALLY FOR URBAN RENEWAL OF COLLEGE STREET, TO REDEVELOP THE PROJECT AS THE FIRST STATE-OF-THE-ART BOOK MALL OF THE NATION. THIS VISIONARY DREAM IN CONCRETE HAS BEEN ONLY DEDICATED TO BOOKWORMS ALL OVER A DREAM THAT IS UNIQUE EVEN BY INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. THE BOOK MALL AIMS AT

Book one: Introduction book

BREAKING BENGALS RITUAL OF AN ANNUAL BOOK FAIR CREATING SPACE FOR BOOK-LOVERS EVERY DAY, EVERY MOMENT OF THE YEAR. A BOOK MALL WILL DEFINITELY GENERATE MORE DYNAMISM, NOT ONLY TO THE BOOK MARKET OF KOLKATA, BUT ALSO TO THE OTHER AREAS OF CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS. IT WILL BE A MARKET AND AT THE SAME TIME IT WILL BE MORE THAN A MARKET. IT WILL ALLOW SPACE TO SENSITIVE READERS SO THAT HE DOES NOT GET BORED, IT WILL ARRANGE SPACE FOR SHOP OWNERS SO THAT HE CAN STORE AND WILL ENSURE THE AMBIENCE TO MAKE THE BUSINESS SIMPLY ROAR. IT WILL NOT JUST BE A SPACE BUT IT WILL BE A DREAM FOR ALL THE PUBLISHERS, BOOK SELLERS, BOOK LOVER AND ALBEIT FOR THE COMMONERS WHO ALL WOULD TRANSFORM THE DREAM TO REALITY.