Shoppers stopped?

So some malls are shutting down and now, we hear that one Shopper’s Stop too has had to down its shutters. The one in Chennai, at Ramee Mall was not doing too well and it decided to close down rather than allow it continue bleeding.

This was a huge place occupied by Shopper’s Stop – some 41,000 sq.ft spread across three levels. The management has blamed the poor footfall on – the digging up right in front of the mall for Metro rail, absence of ‘support system’ in the mall like cinema halls and eatery joints which attracts customers. So basically, the mall itself is seeing very poor footfall and that affected Shopper’s Stop. What this also means is that Shopper’s Stop alone does not attract customers?

With the closure of this shop, Shoppers Stop now has 72 stores, 42 stores of Mothercare and 35 ‘MAC’ outlets. But it is indeed an ominous sign for the retail segment to see malls shutting down. Call it is the high cost or the cheaper online options, malls are indeed having a tough time surviving. Maybe summer time will see more footfalls – not to shop but to enjoy free air-conditioning!