Integrated Lifestyle Destination
On Monday, Virtuous Retail unveiled its fully operational flagship centre in South India, VR Bengaluru.
As the country’s first integrated lifestyle destination, the centre brings together 500,000 sq. ft of premium retail space, including 54-key boutique hotels and residences and 60,000 sq. ft. of collaborative working spaces.
VR Bengaluru is uniquely designed to attract the city’s cosmopolitan and upwardly mobile consumers, firmly establishing Whitefield as the most preferred location in one of Asia’s fastest growing and most attractive real estate markets.
Black Box on Whitefield
Dubbed as the ‘Black Box on Whitefield Road’, a nickname inspired by its striking black façade, VR Bengaluru offers an unmatched blend of experiences to choose from, which include:
- The retail arcade at VR Bengaluru, home to an enviable range of premium global and Indian brands, many of which are debuting in the city for the first time and have set up flagship stores at the Centre
- A nine-screen multiplex including an IMAX and India’s biggest Gold Class cinema providing a multi-sensory experience
- Several pubs like The Whitefield Arms, cafes & restaurants and an upscale food court for dining options
- State-of-the-art fitness and wellness options
- The Sky Deck on the rooftop with a pool and a bar & lounge, ALT alongside a unique banqueting space equipped with India’s largest LED screen
Design Concept
An innovative design ethos enables customers to move seamlessly through the centre. The outdoor, pedestrianized and landscaped spaces at VR Bengaluru offer a soul satisfying experience as a fitting venue for engaging community events such as art, music & food festivals as well as activities for children.
Chairman Virtuous Retail, Siddharth Yog, said on the occasion, “Communities and cities are living, breathing entities. The phrase ‘VR’ in our centres like VR Surat and VR Bengaluru is a play on ‘We Are’, because we want this to be a reflection of our community. VR Bengaluru celebrates the rich heritage of Whitefield giving people a platform to indulge in their love for music, art and shopping. At Virtuous Retail, we have been able to move the needle on what retail developments can be, and should be, anywhere in the world while making them future-proof.”
Grand Opening
The grand opening of VR Bengaluru was special with the rare occurrence of a blue moon on Buddh Purnima. It featured a musical treat by the legends – Gypsy Sound Revolution (featuring the founding members of Gypsy Kings) – performing a mellifluous collaboration bridging western music with traditional Rajasthani folk music. Other performances included the famous Shillong Chamber Choir, who enthralled guests with their western chorals as well as a bespoke music video created and introduced by Raghav Sachar (singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist).
Internationally acclaimed DJs – Electrovertz and Dualist Inquiry – had guests entertained with foot tapping numbers under the blue moon.
Drummer and front-man of Gypsy Sound Revolution, Cedric Leonardi, said, “Joining together the sounds of the ancient rhythms of the original Gypsy tribe of Rajasthan along with the music of South of France where the Gipsy Kings come from has been an intense and humbling experience. What we are really talking about here is crossing borders, redefining boundaries and joining hearts. Philosophically, we are all aligned with the healing power of music and the breaking down of the boundaries of race, religion, caste and creed. It is so appropriate that we play under the full moon as we started the project under a full moon. It is the perfect time to be launching VR Bengaluru and sharing our music.”
About Virtuous Retail
Virtuous Retail is India’s only institutionally backed retail platform, developing and managing community-oriented lifestyle centres in the country. The company is aggressively expanding its pan-India portfolio which currently includes flagship centres – VR Surat and VR Bengaluru – as well as prime city centre locations in Chennai, Mumbai and Pune, contributing to the growing retail economy.
With a successful track record of a decade, Virtuous Retail has redefined the spatial retail experience for consumers by combining global expertise and local knowledge to seamlessly integrate shopping, hospitality, food, leisure and entertainment.
These award winning lifestyle centres are innovatively designed by Virtuous Retail as future proof social hubs that are ‘Connecting Communities©’ to celebrate the local culture and enhance the city’s overall brand image.
Virtuous Retail is sponsored by The Xander Group Inc., a leading emerging markets investment firm, committed to developing 5 million sq. ft. of retail real estate in India.
