Spanning over 8 floors with 122 stores, Quest Mall in Kolkata attracts a footfall of about 30000 over the weekends. Busy mall days mark festivals and holidays with shoppers crowding to get their fill of the best of international brands. It is the ultimate shopping destination for luxury brands and aims to make the most of post-COVID with a slew of new brands lined up.
By East India Retail Staff Bureau | November 13, 2022 | 1800 Hours
www.rpsg.in/business/questmall
Revitalizing retail: Quest Mall and the vision
Quest Mall homes some of the best international brands for luxury and fine-dining. For buyers looking to have an elevated shopping experience, the mall offers a whole world of choices like Salvatore Ferragamo, Swarovski, Rolex, and Hugo Boss. Built with the vision of bringing a shopping high street right in the heart of Kolkata, Quest Mall captures the spirit of premium retail and makes it accessible to the everyday shopper. It also aims at uplifting the community and provides employment to locals at a high-end shopping destination.
Niche shopping: making way for international brands
Quest Mall reported an annual turnover of Rs. 700 crores in the last financial year with 50% of the revenue generating from lifestyle brands. With a high street aim, some of the biggest brands that are making it tick for Quest are as follows.
- Gucci: When Quest first opened its doors to the public back in 2013, this high-end fashion brand from Italy became the talk of the town. Nine years on, it continues to be one of the biggest crowd-pullers for the mall and is steadily increasing its shoppers’ base in the city of joy.
- Burberry: From perfume to bags, Burberry has become a household name for a certain segment of shoppers at Quest with their premium fashion and lifestyle products. The signature British promise of top-notch quality is one of biggest reasons for it gaining popularity among shoppers in the city.
- Rolex: The Swiss watchmakers have long since been synonymous when it comes to luxury and collectors’ edition watches. Rolex draws a considerable footfall among the niche shoppers at Quest and continues to be one of the biggest names since the early days of the mall.
- Emporio Armani: Sure, it sits in the middle tier among the Armani hierarchical chain, but it contributes generously to the all-around revenue at Quest Mall. Priced at a comparatively affordable spot than its ultra-luxe cousin Armani, this store draws a sizeable crowd that is mostly looking to purchase affordable high street fashion and lifestyle products.
These apart, Quest also houses several international brands of prominence such as Michael Kors, Omega, Jimmy Choo, Tumi, Bobbi Brown, and Haagen Dazs, to name a few.
Post-pandemic scene: what it means for malls like Quest
The pandemic taught everyone how life could come to a standstill any day and the lifestyle as they now know might be gone in a moment. This knowledge has had a deep impact on life decisions the world over, and shopping remains no exception. The post-pandemic scene at malls all over the city were lax at first, but gradually picked up pace all around. Sure, the footfall might have gone down to 50% than earlier but the average bill amount has shot up. All thanks to the now-uncertain ways of life, shoppers tend to spend more at malls these days, a trend that has been observed throughout at Quest.
Looking ahead: plans for the future
The entire shopping experience at Quest is to undergo a massive change starting 2023. With changes underway in 2022, the mall is going for a brand revamp, says Mr. Sanjeev Mehra, senior vice-president, Quest Mall. Ground floor brands like Emporio Armani, Coach, and Hugo Boss are moving up to the first floor. A new range of international luxury brands will take their place in the catchment area at the ground floor and so on. They are planning to redo the food and beverages section entirely as well with more fine-dining options opening up for the shoppers for the best retail experience.
Summing up
Aiming at Rs. 800 crores in annual turnover for the current financial year is no mean feat. But under the deft guidance of the senior vice-president, Quest Mall plans to achieve it by bringing in a whole new set of international brands to amp up the luxury shopping experience for the everyday shopper. Its plan to gift the city with a premium and unforgettable shopping experience is in the works. The post-COVID shopping surge is only helping it find flight and heralding sights of better days for the mall.
Credits: In conversation with Mr. Sanjeev Mehra, Senior VP, Quest Mall.
https://questmall.in/
