Shopping in Chennai

Chennai remains the chief retail industry and shopping centre in South India, with some of its suburbs serving as exclusive shopping districts. Since the formation of the city in the seventeenth century, George Town remains one of the chief commercial neighbourhood of the city. However, with the centuries passing, the central business district of the city started shifting towards the south of Fort St. George and moving to its present location at Gemini Circle. The city's retail industry is concentrated chiefly in T. Nagar, which is by far the largest shopping district of India, generating more than twice the revenue of Connaught Place in New Delhi or Linking Road in Mumbai, even by conservative estimates.[1]

History

The first silk sari shops in the city appeared in George Town towards the end of the nineteenth century. These remained popular until about 1915, when new shops were opened in Chintadripet, followed by shops near the Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane in the following years. By the late 1930s, similar shops were opened near the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore. By this time, the Long Lake on the western peripheral region of the old city was drained out resulting in the formation of T. Nagar extension from the existing neighborhood of Mambalam in 1923. The laying of suburban railway line from Egmore to Kancheepuram in 1911 resulted in a station at Mambalam. In the 1950s, textile shops appeared in T. Nagar, which were soon followed by jewellery stores, eventually making the neighbourhood as a shopping destination of the present day.[2]

Retail industry

Chennai is the most important gold market in the South Indian region which contributes to 45 percent of the total annual national offtake of 800 tonnes. T. Nagar accounts for about 70 to 80 percent of the gold sold in the city.[2]

According to the 2012 Cushman & Wakefield report Main Streets Across the World, Khader Nawaz Khan Road at Nungambakkam ranked 10th position in the list of 'Top 10 Global Highest Retail Rental Growth Markets 2012', with 36.7 percent increase in rents.[3]

Notable shopping malls
Name Location Year Size Source
Spencer Plaza Mount Road 1863 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2)
Alsa Mall Montieth Road, Egmore 1998
Abhirami Mega Mall Purasawalkam 2003
Mayajaal Kanathur, East Coast Road 2006 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2)
Chennai Citi Centre Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore 2006 117,600 sq ft (10,930 m2)
Ampa Skywalk Poonamallee High Road, Aminjikarai 2009 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m2)
Express Avenue Whites Road, Royapettah 2010 1,500,000 sq ft (140,000 m2)
Chandra Mall Arcot road, Virugambakkam 2011 143,130 sq ft (13,297 m2) [4]
Coromandel Plaza Navalur, OMR 2011 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) [5][6][7]
Spectrum Mall Paper Mills Road, Perambur 2011 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m2)
Ramee Mall Anna Salai, Teynampet 2012 225,000 sq ft (20,900 m2) [8]
Bergamo Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 2012 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2)
Gold Souk Grandé Mall Chennai GST Road, Vandalur 2015 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) [9][10]
Phoenix Market City (Chennai) Velachery 2013 2,400,000 sq ft (220,000 m2) [11]
Forum Vijaya Mall Arcot road, Vadapalani 2013 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2) [12]
VR Chennai Inner Ring Road, Anna Nagar West 2018 2,000,000 sq ft (190,000 m2)
The Marina Mall, Chennai OMR Road, Egattur 2019 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m2)
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See also

References
  1. "India's biggest shopping district Theagaraya Nagar in Chennai to get a retail makeover". The Economic Times. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  2. Varghese, Nina (29 August 2006). "T.Nagar: Shop till you drop, and then shop some more". Business Line. Chennai: The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  3. "Mumbai records maximum growth in retail rent globally". Samay Live. SamayLive.com. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 26 November 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  4. "Chandra Mall". Chandrabuilders.in. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  5. "Coromandel Plaza". Coromandel Plaza. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  6. "Location - Map with Driving Distance". Coromandel Plaza. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  7. "The AGS Cinemas at OMR Navalur Chennai - India Buzz Info". Inbuzz.info. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  8. "rameemall". rameemall. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  9. "Welcome to Gold Souk". Goldsoukindia.com. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  10. "Gold Souk Grande Mall - Operational by first quarter of 2012 Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine", India Retailing
  11. "Market city | inside". Phoenixmarketcity.in. Archived from the original on 6 March 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  12. "Forum". Potentialsemac.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
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