SHOPPING CENTRE NEWS

Shopping Centre News is the latest initiative from IMAGES Group, where the churn of ideas keep up their momentum as the group prepares to play an even stronger role in the business of retail in India, in its entirety. After all, it’s a duty the group has undertaken to help align the power and philosophy of business in this most emergent of sectors in the country.

Shopping Centre News is a bimonthly magazine that was launched at India Shopping Centre Forum, on March 18, 2008, in Mumbai.

It is only to be expected that the vision is far-reaching. To put it across in the main points, Shopping Centre News will strive to:

1. Be a knowledge resource centre that collects, analyses and disseminates information on the Indian shopping centre industry in all its aspects of operation
2. Encourage the development and spread of sophisticated management paradigms and maintenance methods, keeping in context global benchmarks in the arena
3. Build up – and inspire – a body of focused research into the architecture, aesthetic and design aspects of shopping centres
4. Be a bridge between shopping centre developers and the retail community, to help forge a mutually profitable relationship

The cover story in the first issue discusses the challenge of shopping centre development in India, while the magazine itself is otherwise enriched by exclusive updates on all verticals of Indian and global shopping centre industry. It also has various articles/features discussing developing trends, concepts, and strategies captured by the SCN team as well as by industry experts.

“More than a unique shopping, leisure, or entertaining experience, it is a distinctive social environment that the consumer desires. This environment is a mélange of customs from the past and trends from the present,” said Amitabh Taneja, editor-in-chief of Images Group, in his first editorial for the magazine.

Hopefully, the creators of shopping centres in India are moving towards creating those social destinations – ones where people will be inspired to commune at. Shopping will not happen through creating shopping centres; it will happen through creating social spaces.

With the shopping centre industry in India rushing ahead on the strength of a solidifying retail base, it becomes imperative to set the tenor right. Growth does not happen in a haphazard or an arbitrary manner. There is method and manner to the madness.

Shopping Centre News will want to see the Indian shopping centre industry evolve with direction and determination, and claim its place as an institution of importance. It will be an enterprise that involves the opinions and guidance of industry stalwarts and thought leaders.