Sunday, June 01, 2008

Organized retail comes to Hubli in a big way

Organized retail comes to Hubli in a big way
TOI

Organized retail chains are targeting Hubli, the commercial hub of north Karnataka, in a big way. With the Kishore Bayani group having launched its Big Bazar outlet in the city recently, the stage is set for the Reliance group’s fruits and vegetable outlets.

Reliance Retail’s fruits and vegetable arm, Reliance Fresh, is slated to simultaneously open a dozen outlets in Hubli-Dharwad to cater to the green groceries requirements of this second largest urban centre in the state with huge potential for growth in the future.


Work on the interiors of its first store on station Road here is complete and is expected to open sometime soon while bigger outlets are planned in Deshpande Nagar, Vidyanagar and the residential hotspot on Gokul Road leading to the local airport.

Though Reliance Retail officials are tightlipped about their future plans for the twin cities, the market is abuzz with reports that they will have nine outlets in Hubli and three in Dharwad. Considering the vegetable and fruit growing potential of north Karnataka region, these sound credible.

The city has recently witnessed a metamorphosis in the retail, food and entertainment scenario, with arrival Pizza Hut and café Coffee day, Food Court and branded retail chain store Girias before Big Bazaar, and the prospects of at least two malls and one multiplex taking shape in the near future.

A leading film distributor and exhibitor of the region, Raiker Entertainments, may be the first to come up with mall-cum-multiplex on P B Road in Vidyanagar, the educational hub of Hubli. He has already got a cinema license from the authorities to go ahead with the building plan.

Designed by Kembhavi Architecture Foundation, it will have two underground levels plus five upper floors; with a total built-up area of 2.5 lakh sq.ft. It will be the first centrally air-conditioned mall-cum-multiplex with full power back-up outside of Bangalore and Mangalore in Karnataka.

Ramesh Raiker of Raiker Entertainments told The Times of India: “The mall multiplex will have five theaters with capacities ranging from 150 to 350 seats. It will be first such facility in north Karnataka to have escalators from the ground level atrium to the top two floors housing the theatres.”

The underground levels will have parking space and hyper market for groceries and green groceries. The parking area will have elevators up to the upper floors.

The mall will accommodate anchor stores, retail stores for branded products, and food outlets of various sizes and formats to suit varying budgets.

Another mall-cum-multiplex is likely to come up on Gokul Road, which is fast emerging as the future residential and commercial hub of the city. A Bangalore-based real estate developer has plans to develop a shop ping mall near Court Circle in the heart of Hubli.

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