Focus Mall, in Kozhikode, is not just a shopper’s paradise, but is a haven for retailers too. Since its inception, the mall has been a mix of leading regional, national and international retailers.
Focus Mall, one of the leading shopping malls in Kozhikode, is not just a shopper’s paradise, but is a haven for retailers too. Since its inception, the mall, with a built-up area of 2.5 lakh sq.ft., has been a mix of leading regional, national and international retailers. The retail recipe has always been the right tenant mix, easy conveyance and equal visibility for all retailers conceived and executed by the mall management, which has played a crucial role in mall’s success. The presence of renowned local brands such as Silky Weddings promoted by Kozhikode-based Silky Group in textiles and M. Grill, flagship store of Paragon Group, in food has added to the Focus Mall’s popularity.
Sans competition
Focus Mall, the first shopping mall in Kerala, has brought about a revolution in the concept of shopping. The mall, promoted by HiLITE Builders, one of the leading construction companies in Kerala, is known for its unique marketing strategies, elegance and quality.
In an exclusive interaction with Images Retail, M.A. Mehaboob, Director, HiLITE Builders, ruled out any competition for Focus Mall at present as the number of shopping malls that meet international standards is comparatively less in the region. “To meet the increased consumer demand, HiLITE has ventured into yet another mall in Kozhikode. The HiLITE Mall, with a built-up area of 14 lakh sq.ft., will be launched by the end of this year. This mall would showcase 200-plus branded retail outlets from around the globe,” he disclosed.
Hub of brands
The mall houses major brands across the globe, which caters to all age groups. Aurelia, Bossini, Levi’s, Mohr, United Colors of Benetton, Zodiac, Peter England, Lee, Jealous 21, Spykar, Silky-Ladies Boutique, Focus Hypermarket, Seekrets, Jockey, M&B Footwear and Max are some of the leading shops in the mall.
The mall has also given equal importance to sportswear and baby care products. The Manchester United, Ben 10 Pogo, Kair and Trends are the major brands in this section. The presence of Delta in fitness, Reddot steam in car spa, DC Books in literature, and Titan in watch makes Focus Mall a hub of brands.
Innovation
In tune with the taste of customers, the Focus Mall, the first mall in Kerala to get ISO 9001:2008 certification, has been a success on the innovation front. Mehaboob said that the mall had increased the space for gaming zone from 3,500 sq.ft. to 10,000 sq.ft. and introduced ‘Fine Dine’ concept in the food court. The mall also opened an exclusive space for gadgets to attract the youth.
Local brands
Mehaboob, Executive Member of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the presence of leading local brands Silky Weddings and M. Grill as the USP of Focus Mall. “Local flavour in apparel and food is our real advantage. Silky Weddings and M. Grill, two home-grown brands, are drawing many customers to the mall,” he said.
F&B
The food court, spread across 18,000 sq.ft., offers various variety cuisines ranging from traditional Indian foods to Arabic and Continental. The food court has 13 counters, table facility for 111 and 300 seats.
Fashion world
Fashion Avenue, spread across 1,20,000 sq.ft., offers the largest collection of fashion brands. It houses leading luxury brands such as John Players, White Salt, Derby, Louis Philippe, Park Avenue and John Miller. In short, Fashion Avenue is the equivalent to a fashion world for shoppers.
Conveyance
The mall, located in the heart of Kozhikode city, is approachable from all areas. It houses all the facilities required for a mall, including central air-conditioning, escalators, see-through capsule elevators, and ample car parking facility. More than 600 vehicles can be accommodated in the basement and in the top of the mall at a time.
Response
The mall has a big anchor shop and retail outlets of all leading brand names in apparels, footwear, etc. “A major chunk of the retailers inside the mall are getting tremendous response from customers and are doing good business. Seventy per cent retailers, associating from the beginning of mall, are retaining their shops in Focus Mall,” said Mehaboob who is also the President of Calicut Chapter, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI).
Supporting retailers
|The mall management does monitor the performance of retailers on a monthly basis and offer the maximum support to them to increase the business. “We also encourage retailers to do novel promotional activities. If we feel the business is not viable, we will arrange their easy exit,” he said.
Money spinning
Unlike other shopping malls, the Focus Mall is getting good footfall conversions. Nearly 15,000 customers of all age groups visit the mall daily. The footfalls increase during festivals and on holidays.
Focus mall is the most preferred mall in Kozhikode, said a survey conducted by a renowned mall management company in India. The survy noted that the consumers in Kozhikode display higher awareness for Focus Mall compared to other malls. In all, 85 percent of the people who participated in the survey said that they visit Focus Mall more than any other mall in the city. Respondents said that the major attraction of the mall is that it offers quality products at reasonable prices under one roof.
Amoeba @ Focus Mall
Amoeba, one of the largest chains of family entertainment centres in India, has been operating 4-lane bowling alley, 50 video games machines, kiddie rides, redemption games at Focus Mall for the last two years. Amoeba is promoted by HM Leisure, India’s largest importer and distributor of amusement machines. HM Leisure, owned by HM Group of Companies, has 30 stores in major shopping malls across the country.
