Shop Till You Drop At India's Top-Five Malls

For urban Indians, the definition of weekends seem to have fully changed. Going for picnics or visits to historical monument are a thing of past for them. It is, actually, the malls for which people make a beeline these days. With the retail revolution taking India by storm, the malls have become a complete family entertainment zone, offering something to every age group. While parents shop, the kids can be seen playing at the gaming zones. Families are often seen bonding over movies or dinner dates at malls.

Here is PropGuide's pick of five best malls in India that engage emerging India's shopaholics and entertainment-seekers equally.

Lulu International Shopping Mall (Kochi, Kerala)

LuLu Shopping Mall, Kochi. (Wikipedia)

The brainchild of a non-resident Indian (NRI), Lulu International Shopping Mall is one of the biggest malls in India, with around four million square feet of retail space. Built in 2013, the mall gives the impression of being an international megamall, with roof that shines during the day time. It also houses one of India's largest hypermarkets, Lulu Hypermarket. Among the 365 stores that the mall houses, is also the branch of Federal Bank that functioning all around the year. Apart from restaurants and multiplexes, the mall also boasts of an ice skating rink, 5D Cinema, an arcade gaming zone and a bowling alley. The mall also has Marriot Hotel adjacent to it.

High Street Phoenix (Mumbai, Maharashtra)

High Street Phoenix, Mumbai. (Wikipedia)

Located at the centre of Mumbai, this space was once home to textile mills that turned into real estate hotspot later. The High Street Phoenix has a retail space of around four million sq ft and is one of the largest among Indian malls. It has around 600 stores, including Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Davidoff, Elizabeth Arden and Zara. It also houses retail chain Big Bazaar and toy retailer Hamleys, apart from hosting the top-most restaurants in the city. The mall has also launched a five-star hotel in its compound which was earlier run by Shan-Gri-La Hotels & Resorts.

Mantri Square Mall (Bengaluru, Karnataka)

Mantri Square Mall, Bengaluru. (Mantri Square Mall)

Located at Bengaluru's Malleswaram area, Mantri Square Mall has a retail area of 1.7 million sq ft over three floors. Before it lost to Lulu mall, Mantri Square used to be one of the largest malls in South India. It has over 240 retail outlets covering over 11,000 brands. The mall is famous for traditional kind of entertainment events such as open space shows and plays.

Great Indian Place (Noida, Delhi-NCR)

The Great India Place, Noida (Wikimedia)

Though GIP, as it is fondly called, is not very large in retail space (1.3 million sq ft) compared to others in the list, it is the largest mall in terms of footfalls. It has an average footfall of 600,000 per week. It has around 200 outlets and hosts most of the top-international brands across clothing, electronics and grocery stores. It also has a unique set of stores in a zone dedicated to wedding shopping, and another called Home Saaz for home décor and furnishings.

Z Square Shopping Mall (Kanpur, UP)

Z Square Mall, Kanpur. (Z Square Mall)

Designed by India's most famous architects Hafeez Contractor, the Z Square Shopping Mall spreads across 1.5 million sq ft. It has been recognized as one of the country's most-upcoming malls and boasts for a full WiFi service, along with well-planned zoning and ample amount of parking space. The mall hosts India's top brands, along with designer clothing stores. It is known as a premium-brand mall in the city.

(Katya Naidu has been working as a business journalist for the last nine years, and has covered beats across banking, pharma, healthcare, telecom, technology, power, infrastructure, shipping and commodities.)