Orbiting Malad

A dyed-in-the-wool "townie" ventures out gingerly to test Malad's commercial success and comes away with an armload of purchases.

As the auto I sat in lurched clumsily through traffic snarls outside Malad station, I wondered sceptically if my trip would lead to much. A few years ago, the 30-km ride to Malad would have been anathema to an affirmed townie.

Now there to survey what the fuss was all about, it was disappointing to spot no immediate signs of economic ascendance. The only apparent indicator of development "" the swirling construction dust one has grown to associate with the city's burgeoning suburban western corridor.

But then suddenly Link Road filled my range of vision, a larger-than-life stretch of organised retail smug against the conventional marketplaces and decaying housing societies of old. Here, Inorbit and Hypercity, part of K Raheja Corp, have single-handedly transferred the face of old Malad.

First stop "" the 4,50,000 sq ft Inorbit Mall. The thing that strikes you is that unlike most malls, Inorbit is actually full of shoppers...up to 60,000 of them on many weekends, according to Manoj Motta, general manager, business development, Inorbit Malls.

It's a Rubik's cube of choices "" over 115 retail outlets. "I could come back every weekend for a month and discover there are shops I haven't visited," says M (not to be confused with the fictional head of the MI6), my guide to Malad's growing wellbeing.

Garrulous shoppers turn into garrulous diners at the expansive food court. Singapore-based boutique bakery Bread Talk has its bustling flagship outlet here. Halfway out, experiencing a burning need to contribute to their revenues, we wiped out a shelf's worth of coffee buns.

Curiously, UK-based personal care biggie Body Shop also chose Inorbit for its first Indian location. An expatriate housewife, who mentions she travels 45 minutes to get her monthly dose of beauty pick-me-ups, was clocking up a bill of Rs 6,500. The store manager claims the average bill size is no less than Rs 3,500, a striking change from the early days of Inorbit when tills rang only erratically.

"When we started, our market was largely mass volume driven. Today there is considerable affluence," says Motta. M, herself a trainer in a Malad-based BPO firm, has enjoyed a near 200 per cent rise in her disposable income in the last three years.

It's the wealth generation at Mindspace "" home to IT, ITES and back-office operations generating over 50,000 direct and 1,00,000 indirect jobs "" that has driven retail evolution in Malad. The 130-acre business district was designed by K Raheja Corporation to imitate Canary Wharf "" which grew to become the standing symbol of London city's economic regeneration.

While Inorbit is a family entertainment centre, Hypercity, a retail portfolio, is also part of K Raheja Corp. In a way, the company has single-handedly transformed Malad.

"On a 175-acre plot, the easiest to do would have been a residential development but we chose to do a mixed-use, suburban business district," says Vinod Rohira, director, marketing, K Raheja. Almost 30 per cent of Mindspace is residential and over 40 acres are green spaces.

"We didn't exploit every high-street corner to create a line of shops. We wanted something that would retain customer interest for long," adds Rohira. "We had a grand plan for Malad. Mindspace would first offer direct job access, then generate disposable income. Our obligation was creating a top-notch employee environment and retail infrastructure to feed that," he adds.

Intelenet, encouraged by the potential English-speaking talent pool in the 7-km radius and attractive rentals, were early movers onto what was once marshy land in a sleepy suburb and are today one of the largest lessees.

Sandeep Aggarwal, VP, sales, solutions and transition, Intelenet Global Services says, "The condition we laid down was that K Raheja would develop Malad's infrastructure potential and they have."

M mentions that today's call centre "kids" are plied with not just high take-homes but a heap of attrition-beating incentives, from bikes to home-theatre systems, not to mention dollar prize money.

"Entry-level representatives have the potential to earn up to Rs 30,000 in addition to their monthly pay," she says, "and they spend much of it in this 5-km radius." Local restaurants and bars like Pop Tate's and Slice of Lime are swarming with BPO employees.

"Earlier, our activities would centre around Parish youth events and picnics on the beach, now its Cafe Coffee Day and Movietime," says Gary Misquitta who's been a resident since '92.

Next stop "" Hypercity, India's first true hypermarket. One million customers in 90 days is plausible when you're witness to the product range and ultra-modern environment. Wherever you look, temptation lurks in the form of Sicilian sherry vinegar or Greek organic honey.

Seated right next to Waitrose (with whom it enjoys an exclusive supply agreement) products is a section where dosa batter is freshly ground, which in turn is seated comfortably next to a cheese counter that sells Pecorino and Parmeggiano.

"The Waitrose products (at a considerable premium) ran ahead of our expectations, so we enlarged the space allocation, increased the size of the range and repositioned the department to the front of the store," says Andrew Levermore, CEO, Hypercity. Expatriate shoppers, a rare sighting in

Malad a few years ago, are everywhere. "Our catchment draw has been wider than expected. Our data shows up to 25 per cent of our customers are travelling more than 40 minutes to reach us," adds Levermore.

And, of course, premium commercial estate drives premium housing. "Firstly, every project in Malad is sold out. Secondly, if at all, it's only premium housing that's getting built because of the rising capital values. Malad used to be mass market, now it's hard to sell a one- or two-bedroom apartment," says Pankaj Kapoor of Liases Foras, a real estate research and rating firm.

A Cushman & Wakefield snapshot states that residential capital values in Malad have gone up by 40 per cent. Malad, incidentally, is a big hit with television actors"" the scheming daughters-in-law, the obsessive vamps, the wily lovers "" residents all.

In a bylane in Malad's Christian community of Orlem, Misquitta Fernandes has been selling Goan specialties off a cart for 15 years. His wife Gloria remarks goodnaturedly about the changing demographics of Malad.

Their business has almost doubled in the last three years but they are reluctant to exploit the situation. "We still charge Rs 35 for a plate for fish curry for two," she says, "We can't upset our old clients just to take advantage of the newer ones."

At the other end of the retail spectrum, a Louis Vuitton toting mummy had travelled an hour to make her monthly purchases at Hypercity. "It's unsurpassed by anything in Bandra," she said. Would she move here? "No way" she trills.

So, there is still the issue of historical perception that Malad has to tackle! "Malad has all the attributes of any other premium address but it's still not the same," says Rohira. "If there's one last thing we could do, it'd be to change the pincode!"