Crossroads: Retailing Lessons

The shopping arcade of the mall, spread across 60,000sq.ft., offered 125 top Indian and international brands in fashion, jewelry, footwear, watches, etc. It also had an in-house department store, Pyramids, that offered about 150 brands. Pyramids was the biggest store in the mall, followed by Pallazzio, which had 80 brands of jewelry, watches, and other accessories. Other brands available in this arcade were Levi's, Lee Cooper, Adidas, Lacoste, Swarovski, Reebok, Nike and Benetton. Outlets of Indian designers like Rohit Bal, Ritu Beri, and JJ Valaya were also a part of this arcade. (Refer Table I). The mall had a plethora of entertainment options at the Jammin', which covered three floors. It offered simulation games, bumper cars, pool tables and a ninepin bowling alley...

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Moreover, these huge crowds didn't comprise of the posh clientele that Crossroads had targeted. Regular customers started enquiring when the crowds would be low so that they could shop undisturbed. To tackle this problem, the management decided to restrict entry on weekends. The management had put a notice at the entrance stating that one had to produce a credit card, cellphone, visiting card, or a student ID card to gain entry. Or they had to pay Rs.60 as entry fee, refundable against purchases at any time. Said Chadha, "We argued against it, but the management sided with more premium tenants like J.J. Valaya." Many people turned back, insulted that they had to prove that they had a credit card or a cell phone...