A space where one can come and immerse into various activities like shopping, entertainment, dining or

just a social outing with friends and family under one roof.

The Indian shopping centre industry has been under

continuous dynamic transformation since 2000. In the year
2001, there were only three malls in India. The number
increased to 343 by 2007. As of 2017, India has more than
600 operational malls and going by the report of Cushman &
Wakefield, the international property consultancy firm.

Such is the growing mall culture in India that 34 new

shopping malls, covering 13.6 million sq. ft. area, are
expected to come up in top eight cities by the year 2020.
But keeping a mall alive is no piece of cake. Raking in the
footfalls takes a lot of effort,

No mall today can afford to operate in isolation and just be a

‘shopping’ destination.
They are transforming into
community spaces, bringing to the discerning consumer the
best of brands, food, and entertainment. They’re hubs
where people go to rejuvenate, socialise and entertain.
Shibu Philips, Business Head, LuLu Mall: “A vibrant FEC
zone is a must for any mall.
With increased online shopping,
the focus is shifting from ‘shopping’ destinations to a
more wholesome approach, giving more importance to food
and entertainment – creating community spaces.
Having
realised this, malls today are dedicating around 30-35
percent of the GLA to F&B and entertainment. Earlier, FECs
were planned and built only for toddlers and children. India
today has a brand awareness, techsavvy millennial
population with increasing disposable income.

FECs are gaining significant popularity and can be seen

mushrooming in malls across the country. The mall culture
in India has evolved and shopping is now becoming a family
affair. Thus, parents seek exciting yet safe, fun and
wholesome activities for their children which can be
provided via FECs. Additionally, as these centres are
indoors, they can operate 365 days of the year and are
temperate controlled and add a lot of value.

FECs play a significant role in revolutionising the Indian

mallscape. A combination of digitisation, rapid urbanisation,
rise in disposable incomes and changes in the lifestyle of
the middle-class and the malls understanding their
existence was more as providers of experiences that went
beyond just shopping, made malls successful today
Teenagers and adults alike are exploring different
entertainment options other than the usual movie watching.
”The customer does not fi nd any reason to step
again and again in the same mall only for shopping.
While customers can rely on e-commerce for all other
needs, entertainment cannot be fulfilled by e
commerce. Converting a mall into an FEC dominated
zone can make a substantial direction change for any
shopping centre. Malls with strong FEC zones usethis
to their advantage.”

We firmly believe that a mall needs to transform into a socialscape – a place to gather, a place to converse,
a place to explore and experience new things. 

Malls have evolved as social places where people come to relax and unwind amidst their busy lives.

The customer is the sun in our figurative universe. Everything revolves around their needs and all our
efforts are focused towards meeting their expectations to the best of our abilities. The only thing that
distinguishes a mall from an online market place is the experience that we off er that help in satisfying all
the fi ve senses of our patrons. They can see, touch, feel, hear and smell the ambiance of the mall and the
FEC’s and that is what makes or breaks their experience.

Each day for us is a celebration and hence we have different days like Monday Mania, Tuesday Treats
(special F&B offers), Women Wednesdays (a packaged offer bundle for women across retail stores and
services). Along with this we also host musical evenings, birthday packages, food festival, IPL screenings,
pub-crawl, and chai-pakoda fest, dog show, wedding promotions and a super-duper Women’s Day
celebration. These enhance customer experiences and keep them consistently engaged which is our
ultimate aim at Viviana,” he adds.

 Viviana prides itself on being the first Indian mall to launch an audio-tactile labelling system and Braille
menu cards at all restaurants and outlets of the mall.

“A large part of the audience that visits the mall is families including toddlers, tweens and teens. When the
FEC culture was introduced in the Indian Mall market, we saw a dramatic shift in the purchase patterns.
We realised people were leaving their children in the entertainment zones and then shopping with a relaxed
mind,” he adds.

Mukesh Kumar, CEO, Infiniti Mall explains, “Shopping malls are defined as one or more buildings
forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnected walkways enabling visitors
to walk from unit to unit. Having said that, they are the heart and soul of communities, the foundation of
retail economies and a social sanctuary for citizens everywhere. The growing middle classes in metro cities
maintain a strong association between consumption and pleasure driving the need for more engaging
shopping experiences. An ageing population and increased urbanization, which means more people living
in smaller spaces and a greater need for public spaces in which to socialize and congregate. If the retail is
to succeed, the shopping centre needs to have a significant amount of entertainment and F&B options. It is
imperative to make the mall a Family Entertainment Centre.”

City Centre Raipur – has been meticulously designed with elements of architectural surprises including
narrow shopping aisles leading to wide open spaces, linearity broken by sequence of trees and non-air-
conditioned areas extending into the air-conditioned and all with the objective of creating ‘visual
excitement’. Conceptual places like Dessert Street, Dining Street, Kid’s Street, Bar Lounge, Valentine
Cafe and Garden of Senses, among others have also been incorporated into the mall. The timeless Indian
concept of the Ghanta Ghar, natural daylight and positive energy, water bodies, open spaces and extensive
plantation has created the mall which is completely different from any other in Central India and successful
in becoming a worldclass lifestyle destination, an FEC like none other,” says Pramod Ranjan Dwivedi,
Head- Group Real Estate Marketing & Customer Care, Ambuja Realty Development Limited.

 The people in the western world are willing to enjoy their own lives. More and more parts of the
lifetime are dedicated to leisure. So there are strong developments to the so-called fun Urban
Entertainment Center society. People are much more materialistically oriented.

Working Time and Leisure Time

Leisure time is supposed to be the remaining time for activities, which are not related to work
and subsistence like eating and sleeping. Now when we have a closer look to the relation of
working time and leisure time in their historical development and the present situation we
recognise a decline of working time in favour of an expansion of leisure time in wide parts if
not in all in the developed world. Since the industrial revolution the number of working hours
decreased in the U.S. and in Europe.

This development lasts with an increasing pace into the present time with an small exception
of the U.S. When the average German worker had to work 2,000 hours in 1970, today she or
he works approximately only 1,600 hours. Simultaneously the time spent for leisure activities
has expanded. The estimated apportionment of leisure hours per day increased in the U.S.
from 7.2 in 1970 to 9.5 in 2000.1

At the same time our society is getting older. Especially the group of pensioners is increasing.
This group is in a special way very interesting for the leisure time industry, because almost
their whole time could be also named as leisure time.